


Internet Celebrities Are People Too

by canisbaileyilupus



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Internet, Internet Famous, M/M, Not Suitable/Safe For Work, internet personality AU, sexual activity in chapter 6
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-05-25 03:45:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 64,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14968397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canisbaileyilupus/pseuds/canisbaileyilupus
Summary: Keith is an Instagram model/tumblr nsfw blogger. He gets forced to attend Vidcon, a convention for the internet famous, with his adopted brother Takashi Shirogane (also known as Shiro), who is a motivator and workout trainer on YouTube. Shiro knows Lance McLain will be there, a hot-head who does comedy sketches on YouTube. Lance is friends with Hunk Garrett, a YouTuber personality that bakes on his channel, another guest for Vidcon, and Pidge Holt, a famous Twitch streamer that does gaming and other nerdy things. Pidge wasn’t invited as a guest, but they attend the convention to support their friends Hunk and Lance. What will happen when Lance gets too wild for the convention and runs into Keith?





	1. Invitation: Day 0

**Keith**

 

Keith hadn’t been to an event like this before, let alone be invited as a guest. But there was something about getting out of the apartment that his adopted brother, Shiro, said to him the other day when he got his invitation.

 

“If I go, you go. Thats the ultimatum I made with them and its what I’m gonna make with you. You have to get out of the house, it’ll be good for you. Who knows, maybe you’ll make some friends.” Shiro joked.

 

Keith hadn’t expected to actually be invited though, he assumed Shiro would just force him to go with him. But, to his surprise, the email staring back at him from his phone showed that he’d been invited as a plus one guest, and it was going to be paid for with free alcohol. How could he say no to that?

 

The ride to the hotel was surprisingly short from the airport, Shiro never shutting up about the event since Shiro had been invited as a guest before. He was so excited to go since he knew his crush, Allura Altea, a famous YouTube beauty artist, was going to also be a guest.

 

“If you don’t shut up, you’re not going to have a voice to ask Allura out.” Keith prodded, his elbow shoved into Shiro’s side as they pulled up to the front of the hotel.

 

It was even bigger in person, with people exiting their cars, handing over their keys to valet and watching bell hops taking luggage and placing them on carts to pull inside the lobby. Keith had to admit, this was starting to look exciting. Maybe he wouldn’t hate this event so much. It wasn’t like he was going to be forced to room with his brother or even be around a lot of people anyway.

 

But Keith was wrong about one of those things. It was true that he was going to have a room all to himself, worried that he’d have to hear Shiro talk for hours about the event, his manager chatting about his schedule and his brother spit out word vomit about Allura. At least Keith could work on his own stuff, like taking “casually posed” selfies in the full body mirror or the sliding glass doors that open to the small balcony.

 

What he was wrong about was he most definitely not staying in his room the whole weekend. In fact, the moment he had taken off his shoes and put his suitcase on the bed, he got a text from Shiro that they would be going out for dinner at the hotel restaurant where every guest gets to meet and chat. It was already the afternoon when they arrived and Keith was so busy watching the sunset and taking selfies, he had forgotten about the complimentary dinner until Shiro came knocking at his door.

 

“Keith, you better be ready or else I’m coming in and making you leave, regardless of whether or not you have a shirt on.” Shiro yelled from the hall.

 

Quickly, he slid on his shoes, checked for his wallet and keycard, slipped his phone into his pocket and walked out of his room.

 

“What took you so long? Too busy taking selfies?” Shiro prodded. Keith just rolled his eyes.

 

“Let’s just go, I’m hungry.”

 

The dining hall of the restaurant was full of staff members and guests. Some people were sitting together depending on their careers. Beauty gurus sat together, comedians were spread across the room since there were so many of them, vegan YouTubers and other kinds of health YouTubers sitting together eating already, so on and so forth. Shiro grabbed his dinner plate full of different kinds of food high in protein and Keith followed along. He had no idea where he was going to be sitting, since he didn’t really know anyone or have a group of people he could sit with. Disappointed with the seating arrangements, he just decided to sit with Shiro, very much against conversations with anyone at his table.

 

The moment they sat at the table, Shiro greeted the others who had channels dedicated to eating healthy and veganism. Keith didn’t care that much about their conversations, so he just ate his food quietly, looking around to avoid talking to anyone.

 

That was when some guy was laughing loud enough that it caught Keith’s attention, who sat at a table right next to him. He was laughing so hard, he fell out of his chair. At least someone was having a good time.

 

Dinner ended and then people started drinking, including the loud laughing guy nearby. It hadn’t bothered Keith that much at first, it was the only entertainment he had during dinner. But now, full of delicious food and ready to go to his room and drink alone while on tumblr, the very loudly laughing guy nearby was starting to get annoying, hollering and his friends at his table trying to get him to quiet down.

 

Keith excused himself from the table, telling Shiro that he’d head to his room and order some wine so he can enjoy quiet drinking time. He wasn’t the social drinker, he’d be afraid that he’d either flirt with someone he’d regret later or beat the absolute shit out of someone as annoying as the drunk laughing guy.

 

Just as he was stepping into the elevator, he heard screaming coming from down the hall. Around the corner came that loud laughing guy, this time followed by security and fans, and he didn’t have a shirt on. Hoping the doors closed before he could reach the door, he felt his body sweat. Fans as rambunctious as these really terrified him. They get violent and egg people on if things don’t go the way they want them to. The guests weren’t even allowed to roam around the hotel without a handler, let alone be in spaces where fans could go overboard.

 

Unfortunately, the doors didn’t close in time, the strange guy weaseling his way into the elevator before fans or security could get in.

 

Keith had already pressed the button to his floor, so this weirdo was going to know what floor he was on.

 

It was dead silent, only the sound of fans screaming disappearing into the silence. The stranger finally spoke up.

 

“So, you a guest here?” He asked. It caught Keith off guard.

 

“Uhm, yeah.” Keith avoided eye contact, looking forward at the floor number climbing.

 

“I’m also a guest here!”

 

“I’ve noticed.”

 

The elevator dinged, cutting off the conversation as the door opened.

 

“Wait, can I ask you for a favor?” The stranger stepped out with Keith, making him extremely uncomfortable.

 

“If its to help you hide by staying in my room, you are shit out of luck. I’m going to drink wine and ignore the world for the night. Don’t you have somewhere you need to be? Like in trouble?” Keith responded. He would rather not have this guy follow him into his room, let alone on the floor he was staying on.

 

“Look, I just need to hide until the fans scatter and security stops trying to catch me. You know those fans can be brutal.” The stranger chuckled. “Especially because I’m fucking hot and no one can resist me.”

 

Keith stopped walking, turning around to face the stranger. “Oh really? Well, you better find a hiding spot quickly because here comes a group of fans now.” Pointing behind the stranger, he turned to see a swarm heading towards them.

 

Some of the fans were screaming a name. “LANCE! PLEASE TAKE A PIC WITH ME!”

 

“LANCE!”

  
“LANCEY LANCE PLEASE MARRY ME!”

 

The stranger panicked, grabbing Keith’s hand and running off to another hall.


	2. Mystery: Day 0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some details and barely any memories. Lance was very much lost at how he ended up like this.

**Lance**

 

 

He was so ready for Vidcon. He had made videos every week for the past few years, climbing quickly and growing popular quicker than he thought. He started just goofing off when his family and best friends Hunk and Pidge. It inspired Hunk to make his own channel, which Lance shouted out so much and collabed with regularly. Pidge wasn’t big on the whole YouTube thing, but their love for games really fueled their need to share their enjoyment with others, finding Twitch and starting streams every day for years.

 

He had been going as a guest for a couple of years and it was a good time every single year. He’d get to see all the drunk comedians and making new friends, especially if it ends with getting a few numbers and hooking up. But since he had been dumped by his exgirlfriend, he was ready to be single for awhile, get used to loving himself. He had realized he’d been destroyed emotionally after his ex dumped him, but thanks to his Hunk and Pidge, he finally was able to get excited about Vidcon again.

 

“I loved her, guys.” Hunk patted Lance’s back.

 

“I know, but you can’t let her take ahold of you anymore. She was a total bitch, sorry Pidge, but its okay and now you can enjoy the weekend without her stressing you out.”

 

“You didn’t even have fun last year because she kept trying to control you all weekend. She even wanted to be your handler so she could keep you from any female, even fans.” Pidge inserted, double checking their baggage.

 

 

 

They had been living together in a small house since they began their careers online. They’ve never had to struggle with working and Lance was so grateful he could help his family with bills. His mother was so happy when he showed up at his family home one afternoon with a birthday card that just said “happy birthday, mom” with a check for thirty thousand dollars. She’d never been so happy in her life since her kids were born, and she felt so proud to see one of her sons make it big in entertainment.

 

 

**Hunk**

 

Hunk had grown up with Lance since they were in diapers, they did everything together. He loved doing a ton of cooking when Lance was hanging out at his house, so it made sense that once he started making videos, they’d be on food. Baking was his favorite though. The decorating and the finished product brought a smile to his face every time he’d finish a cake or other sweets. It gave him something to do with his life and he was living his dream of being a chef. He grew so big, he started making food for film crews and even big shot events just like Vidcon. But this year, he’d be a guest. He didn’t have to worry about making food for thousands of people anymore, although he did love when people told him how delicious his food was. No, this year was going to be different for him. He was going to finally spend time with his girlfriend Shay and enjoy the convention the way he wanted.

 

 

 

**Pidge**

 

They grew up playing video games, their dad creating fun games that they loved to play all the time. With time, their brother Matt started making online games and studying to become a professional. He loved creating games for his sibling to play, so much in fact that Pidge wanted to play them professionally. Pidge was given so much at a young age, growing and learning quickly just like Matt. They both worked together to create games and playing them online, eventually making games for the LGBT community. When Pidge went into high school, they met Lance and Hunk, two nerdy boys who loved games and online content just like them.

 

After the group began making stuff online, they all joined together and shouted each other out on their channels, often collabing with one another and documenting their friendship. Pidge was the best at that. Anytime Lance would goof off, Pidge was there to film it all. When they got older, old enough to drink, Pidge started recording Lance doing stupid things and eventually learned that when Lance drinks, he doesn’t remember what happened. Two birds, one stone, they thought.

 

 

**Lance**

 

This Vidcon was going to be different for Lance. He had been heartbroken for months, but after spending lots of time with his friends, he realized he didn’t need some eye candy on his shoulder to love himself. He could just do it on his own. So this particular year, he’d be a guest without a handler that wouldn’t be controlling his every move. Sure, he knew he’d have to be followed by someone the entire weekend, but he told the convention head that he was not going to be locked away like before. He wanted freedom, the ability to explore the convention without being tied down.

 

“Looks like we’re all packed, we need to check into the hotel in a few hours, but if our room is ready, we can leave now.” Pidge said, checking off a list on their phone.

 

Hunk hugged Lance and Pidge, excited. “This is going to be so much fun. I can’t wait to see what the con has to offer.”

 

“Okay big guy, just let me go so I can breathe.” Lance whispered through exaggerated gasps.

 

 

 

 

Packing up the car, they headed out to the convention hotel just a short drive away. Lance played the most annoying, memeist songs he could and scream singing at the top of his lungs. Pidge joined in once Smashmouth came on, irritating Hunk a bit, who was driving and vexed with the traffic.

 

 

 

Arriving, they unloaded their luggage and headed inside the hotel lobby. It was the day before the actual event but fans still swarmed him when he entered the building. Pidge went and checked them into their rooms while Lance took selfies and signed autographs with his fans. Hunk was also given attention, many of his fans being nerdy young people who loved his most popular videos like “baking cookies without hands” or “the cake that reminds you of every 8-bit game without being obvious”.

 

 

The moment Lance entered his room, he was told by his handler that he would be called for dinner, which was mandatory. Its not like he could skip it though, he loved food too much to miss out. He spent the day editing a video he needed to post since he’d shown up earlier than other guests, but he was just grateful to have this moment of peace before going into the convention hall with a smile and all the energy in his body. Which according to Pidge, was a lot. He knew that he’d be drinking every night during the weekend, but he was hoping he wouldn’t go overboard.

 

 

Dinner was fantastic, his friends in the community knew about his breakup and gave him a great night full of laughs, so many laughs in fact that it had knocked him out of his chair. After dinner, however, was drinking time and he’d completely blacked out the rest of the night. He remembered vaguely a few details though. He remembered trying to streak, Pidge and Hunk trying to wrangle him to get him away from the fans outside in the halls and to his room. He remembered running, a lot. But one thing he couldn’t forget was a gorgeous guy with dark hair and pale skin. He looked like a goddamn model and an angel at the same time. He just didn’t know his name.

 

He woke up the next morning with a hangover, on a floor he most definitely knew wasn’t his, in a room that wasn’t in his name, with a note next to him that said “text me when you’re awake so I can go back in my room you gross human being”, a phone number on the bottom with the letter K.


	3. Pidge's Bet: Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge makes a bet Lance could not turn down.

Lance stood up from the floor, dizzy and his head was pounding. He pulled out his phone and immediately figured out his phone died during the night. Lance took a moment to collect himself before leaving the hotel room, entering the unfamiliar hall. He eventually found himself at the elevators and took himself to his room, hoping he wasn’t in trouble.

 

 

He entered his hotel room to find Pidge and Hunk asleep on his bed, clearly not caring about the mess they fell asleep in. Pizza boxes on the bed and the television on a very low volume, Lance shut off the television and plugged in his phone. He finally found out what time it was, and by the state of the sky through the sliding glass door, it was still the early hours of the morning.

 

 

Lance hopped into the shower, completely exhausted from his night and the shitty way he passed out. He couldn’t believe he fell asleep on the floor of some random persons hotel room. He doesn’t even remember who the person was or if they were a guy or a girl. Frustrated, he exited the shower, wrapping himself in towels and exiting the bathroom. He looked up and saw Pidge and Hunk sitting up on his bed, staring at him with judging eyes.

 

 

“What?”

 

 

“Where have you been all night?” Pidge asked.

 

 

“You disappeared on us once you went into that elevator, we couldn’t even get in contact with you, which I’m guessing is why your phone is charging on the desk.”

 

 

Lance shifted his eyes. “I know, I kinda fucked up. But I don’t remember a lot from last night.” He sat on the bed, feeling as if Pidge and Hunk were reprimanding a disobedient child.

 

 

“Dude, you know you don’t remember anything once you start drinking. I got only half the nights footage on livestream last night, but what can you remember?” Pidge pulled out their phone, sifting through videos.

 

 

“Well, there was running, and screaming fans, and a cute guy. I don’t even know why I remember this guys face.” Pidge snorted.

 

 

“What? What are you laughing about?” Hunk started snickering with Pidge.

 

 

“Did I miss something? Do you think this is funny?”

 

Pidge and Hunk cleared their throats.

 

 

“No, its not funny… We were worried about where you had been all night but...” Pidge looked to Hunk.

 

 

“But you came back and you were with a cute guy, and you had fun! That’s all that matters.”

 

 

It was a few hours until the convention started, so Pidge, Hunk, and Lance decided to get some breakfast and enjoy the morning.

 

 

During their room service eggs and waffles, Pidge asked, “So what do you remember about this cute guy that you met last night?”

 

 

Lance nearly choked on his eggs. “Uh-ahem… Did I say cute?” Pidge and Hunk side eyed one another before looking back at Lance.

 

 

“Okay, okay I get it. I remember his haircut, how could I forget it? It was fucking terrible, but he was still cute and I can’t believe I just said that.” Lance turned away, shoving more food into his mouth.

 

 

The rest of their morning was uneventful, since Lance really did not want to talk about whoever he spent his night with. All he had was the number in his pocket with nothing but the letter K. He didn’t want to tell his best friends, he’d just get teased about it. Feeling insecure about the whole thing, he decided not to talk about it at all.

 

 

 

 

Once they arrived at the convention center, he was told his entire schedule for the day. He had a few panels spread throughout the day and a meet and greet after lunch. He was forced to separate from Hunk and Pidge, since Hunk has his own panels and Pidge wasn’t a guest.

 

 

 

The day went on slow, so slow that Lance was growing irritated with how bored he was feeling. Not able to walk around the convention center where the fans are, he felt so defeated when he tried to escape from his handler.

 

 

His first panel was with some fellow comedians, a few who were not to good. There was a few guys who just did shitty sketches about hot girls and terrible humor relating to hot girls, which he honestly didn’t care for. He had to attend it because it was for the comedians who were guests, a few panels like that being spread out through the entire convention because there were so many. He was just happy to see fans ask him questions like how to start a comedy sketch, if he had plans for comedy sketch series, if he was going to collab with anyone, and of course he’d always answer with “its a secret” with a wink. Some questions were a little personal like if he was dating anyone or if he’d ever date a fan, things like that were out of bounds which had some fans kicked out of line for asking such inappropriate questions. Until one fan came up to the microphone.

 

 

“Hi, I’m a huge fan! I just wanted to know what happened last night. Lots of fans were tweeting about you running out without a shirt and lots of people were taking pics of you. What was that all about?”

 

 

Lance cleared his throat, nervously chuckling. “Well, I had a little too much to drink. So big tip for those who are legally allowed to drink, keep track of how much you can handle. I really gotta work on that, haha.”

 

 

That was the hardest question he’d ever have to answer. He tried to brush it off jokingly, but he was visibly uncomfortable with it, and the panel host knew it. Everyone else was told after that to keep personal questions about the previous night to themselves.

 

 

 

 

Later on in the day, Lance got to watch Hunk’s panel about cooking for an online audience. Many fans laughed and told their favorite stories about terrible cooking incidences. One girl once tried cooking brownies with her little brother and not only did they burn the brownies but they also tried making them in the microwave. Hunk shared his story of how he got started and he nearly brought a tear to Lance’s eyes. Some kids told Hunk that they started learning to cook thanks to his videos, wanting to become chefs and starting culinary school and even saving their lives by eating healthier with Hunk’s new series that just started about eating healthy on a budget.

 

 

 

Pidge met up with Hunk and Lance for lunch, deciding on what they all wanted. Hunk wanted to eat something fancy, Lance wanted fast food, but Pidge just wanted some vegetarian options no matter where they went. They eventually decided to just stay in hotel’s restaurant, that way if they had left over lunch, they could all eat it later if they wanted.

 

 

Once they sat down and ordered, Pidge and Hunk began whispering at one another. Lance had no clue what was going on, but he saw both of them giggling before shaking hands and turning back to their friend.

 

 

Food in his mouth he muffled. “What?”

 

 

“So, I was wondering if you be interested in a bet.” Lance swallowed his food.

 

 

“Depends on what the bet is on. What brought this up?” Lance took a sip of his soda.

 

 

Pidge pulled out their phone. “Well, I was looking at the guest list and there’s an interesting guest here that has a very interesting haircut.” Pidge’s eyebrow raised up, looking back at Lance.

 

 

He could not believe what he was hearing. “No, Pidge...” Lance rubbed his hands along his face, groaning.

 

 

Hunk butted in. “Hear us out, Lance. Come on.” Hunk placed his hand on the table, trying to calm him down.

 

 

“Okay, I’ll hear you out, but don’t think for a second that I’ll agree to it.” Lance looked up at the ceiling, really irritated by what Pidge might say.

 

 

Pidge pressed their glasses up the bridge of their nose and smiled. “Okay, so, what I was thinking was if you get this guy you think is cute to give you his number by the end of the weekend, I’ll give you twenty bucks.”

 

“And if I don’t?” Lance responded quickly. He already had his number in his pocket, so he guessed that was a win for him?

 

 

“If you don’t, you owe me twenty bucks.” Lance sat up in his chair. An easy twenty bucks?

 

 

It was silent for a couple minutes, far too long for Lance to be quiet. “Make it fifty.”

 

 

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to turn it down!” Pidge shouted before covering their mouth. A table nearby looked at their table in annoyance at Pidge’s volume.

 

 

“What can I say? You know me too well. Maybe I will give you a curveball, you never know if I have a trick up my sleeve or not.”

 

 

Pidge looked at Hunk before chuckling. “Yeah, right. A trick up your sleeve? You just go into everything without a plan, there’s no way that’s gonna happen.” Lance just rolled his eyes.

 

 

“We got a deal or not?” Lance reached out his hand, a smirk across his face and an eyebrow raised.

 

 

Pidge reached out their hand, shaking Lance’s. “You know it.”

 

  
Little did Lance know, Pidge and Hunk had a bet all on their own. If Lance actually got this guys number at any time, Pidge was going to be forced to cook one of Hunk’s meals for his channel. If Lance actually got this guys number during the convention, Hunk was going to be forced to play a horror game on one of their streams, on the most difficult mode.


	4. Look What You Made Me Do: Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith feels conflicted and irritated with himself. And Lance.

Keith could not believe the mess he got himself in. He had no choice but to take in the weirdo that followed him into his room. The moment they both arrived into his room, the stranger passed out on his floor. Annoyed by the situation, he decided to get some sleep since he couldn’t do anything with the guy on his floor.

 

 

Hours later, Keith woke up to mumbling and talking. Turned out the stranger on his floor had one way conversations in his sleep. Unable to get rest, he called Shiro to stay in his room for the night. Before leaving his room, Keith left the stranger a note by his sleeping body.

 

 

 

He arrived at Shiro’s door, exhausted and clearly pissed off.

 

 

“Alright, tell me what happened.” Shiro sat on his bed, yawning and scratching his scalp. “Why did you want to stay in my room tonight? Did you see a spider in your room and now you can’t be in there?” Shiro teased.

 

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “No, you dingus. Long story short, this guy from tonight got a little too drunk at the dinner party and ended up following me to my room and now he’s loudly talking in his sleep and I really can’t get any shut eye with him mumbling on my floor.” Keith laid on his brothers bed, looking up at the ceiling. “I just want to sleep.” He grumbled.

 

 

Shiro sighed. “Alright, well hopefully he doesn’t steal anything.”

 

 

“Everything’s in the safe, don’t worry about it, bro.” Keith whispered, falling asleep so quickly, he didn’t even notice Shiro laying down next to him.

 

 

 

Keith was awoken hours later by Shiros phone ringing nearby. As Shiro answered the call, Keith got up and used the bathroom, realizing he had major bedhead. He’d forgotten to have a shower when he returned to his room last night and couldn’t even order wine and enjoy it because that strange guy fell asleep on his floor. How was he going to enjoy alone time in a tub if a stranger was going to barge in at any moment? As he brushed his hair with Shiros brush, his brother walked in.

 

 

“Alright, so I’ve got some panels to do and a meet up later in the day. You gonna be okay by yourself?”

 

 

Keith nodded, yawning. “Hopefully that guy isn’t in my room anymore. I need to change clothes and charge my phone. Do I need to be anywhere?” He asked, setting down the hairbrush.

 

 

Shiro looked at his phone. “Not really. I’ll track down a staff member and ask them. You going back to your room?” He places his phone down and grabbed some clothes from the closet across from the bathroom.

 

 

Keith walked out of the bathroom and leaned against the wall, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Still not text. “I guess. I gotta clean up, I feel like shit.” Shiro chuckled.

 

 

“Alright then, be careful dude. I’ll text you when I find someone to help you out with your schedule. I have no idea if they have you for anything. Not really my job.” Shiro got dressed and headed to the bathroom, closing the door.

 

 

“See ya, bro.” Keith shouted before leaving the room. He sighed once he entered the hallway, head against the wall. It was going to be a rough day, he could feel it. He was actually terrified of who might recognize him since he was on the guest list. In his line of work, he didn’t really do YouTube videos, mainly just Instagram and Tumblr. And most of his work is adult modeling for his blog.

 

 

The walk to his room was quiet, which was nice but in the morning was odd. With how things went the night before, he was sure some fans would have weaseled their way into the hotel halls in hopes of catching their favorite creators. This was why he never went to these kinds of events. With his adult content, he knew for sure he was going to get some creepy old dudes or a stalker finding him. He hadn’t announced he would be at this event anyway, so as he reached his room, he quietly opened his door and saw no one. He exhaled, relieved that he was finally alone. He was supposed to get a text, but judging from the state of the guy last night, he was probably just low on battery life and didn’t remember to text him when he reached his own room.

 

 

At least nothing was touched. Everything was where he left it, even his disheveled bedding and his suitcase sitting on the floor. It was a little after nine in the morning, so he grabbed some clean clothes and hopped into the shower.

 

 

Once he got out, he got a text from Shiro.

 

Shiro:

Someones coming by so bE DRESSED FFS

 

 

Keith just rolled his eyes and got dressed just as a knock on the door echoed his quiet room. Answering it, a young woman came in, tablet in hand and a headset. Her attire was elegant, like she was going to attend a dinner party.

 

“Keith Kogane?” She questioned. He just nodded.

 

 

“Come in, ma’am.” She smiled as Keith stepped out of the way so she could enter the room, closing the door behind her. Her hair was longer than the front, reaching down below her butt. Natural blondes are hard to find these days, even blondes who grow out her hair. She must have been from a rich family or something.

 

 

“My name is Romelle, I believe Takashi Shirogane told me that you don’t know your schedule?” She asked, turning to Keith.

 

 

Keith walked up to her and sat on his bed. “No, I don’t even know if I have someone like a staff member to keep an eye on me, what is it called?”

 

 

“A handler.” She responded, looking up from her tablet. “And that looks like it would be me. Do you know what a handler does?” She asked.

 

 

Keith shook his head. “From what I know, its a person who works for the convention that keeps the guest on their schedule.”

 

 

Romelle pointed towards Keith softly. “Thats right. We also make sure you don’t wander around the areas where fans can cause a scene, its a fire hazard to have a meetup in small spaces.”

 

 

Keith nodded. “So, whats the plan?”

 

 

Romelle looked down at her tablet again, tapping away. “Lets see, looks like your schedule is fairly empty. There’s a panel for other social media influencers like yourself and a group meet and greet with them after lunch. The rest of your day is free.” Keith sighed. At least it wasn’t a lot. They did have to gather other people up so he wasn’t going to be the only one.

 

 

Keith stood up. “Thats great. I just have one question.”

 

 

Romelle smiled. “Well ask away.”

 

 

Keith cleared his throat. “There’s a guest here that was heavily drinking last night and running around without a shirt. Fans were screaming and chasing him. Will he get into trouble for that?”

 

 

“Ah, you’re talking about Lance McLain. He does that sometimes. We usually get him on lockdown before it gets too bad. Why do you ask?” Keith felt hands go cold.

 

 

“Uhh, no reason. I saw him last night and didn’t know if he was going to get into trouble or something.” Romelle laughed. He couldn’t believe he forgot his name, those fans from the night before did shout it out a lot when they were chasing him.

 

 

“No, thats normal for him. Now if it was another guest that we don’t know that well, they get kicked out immediately and they don’t get to come back as a guest or a regular attendee.”

 

 

“Well, looks like we’re done here.” Keith stated, standing up to head to the door.

 

 

“Oh, one more thing. The guests are having a party in the lounge tonight, so you have to be there. According to Takashi, you need to “make some friends”.” Romelle stood up, walking to the door.

 

 

Keith sighed. Seriously? “Fine. I guess I have to be there if he says so.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first thing Keith had to do was grab some food. It was still early in the day and he hadn’t eaten anything since dinner the night before. He managed to get something easy to be delivered along with something to drink. Call him basic, but he needed coffee just to handle the stress he was going to endure in the day.

 

 

The first few hours were boring as hell. His panel was boring as hell. No one asked him questions unless it was a question for the entire panel. Keith made a mental note to do something that would get his name out there, maybe some brand deals if he could find anything for his demographic. This panel only made him realize he’s done nothing but take professional photos and not getting noticed.

 

 

Then, it was lunchtime. He figured he didn’t want to go back to his room yet, so he grabbed a table at the hotel’s restaurant. His handler, Romelle, told him he had a group meet and greet in a couple of hours, so he decided to enjoy his quiet afternoon with a delicious meal and a glass of wine. He didn’t get to enjoy any the night before thanks to a certain obnoxious dickhead, so one glass before a meet and greet wouldn’t hurt. It was just one glass afterall.

 

 

Sitting at his table, he took a deep breath and checked his notifications. Instagram was normal, taking a selfie with his glass of wine would be kind of nice too, he guessed.

 

 

Soon, he ordered his lunch and wine, the glass coming shortly after. Once it arrived, he sipped it, taking a selfie with it and posting it to his page. He added his location as Vidcon since he didn’t even mention on his social media that he’d be going, and he didn’t think it would be that bad. No one was recognizing him anyway.

 

 

He posted the selfie and set down his phone, sighing before taking another sip of his wine. It was so quiet, he was enjoying his time finally. Until he heard someone laughing at another table a few feet from him. It was so familiar he had to turn his head. It was him again, Lance McLain. He was hanging out with a couple of people, a larger guy, probably another guest and some smaller person. Keith couldn’t make out who these people were, but they looked so happy hanging out together. Especially Lance.

 

 

No, he couldn’t go soft now. Not when he reminded himself about what happened the night before and how Lance literally ruined his evening. Not when he remembered how he ran around the halls with the guy, holding his damn hand and feeling how warm it was, how he managed to carry this guy on his shoulder and dragged him into his room, feeling the softness of his bare shoulders on his face.

 

 

Hell no.

 

 

Keith quickly finished up his lunch, paid for his meal, and left to his hotel room to relax before the meet and greet. He didn’t want to think about the guy laughing with his friends, smiling so much it lit up the space around him. Fuck that. Fuck feelings.

 

 

 

 

 

Keith went to his meet and greet with other influencers, some he recognized from Instagram, some he didn’t know at all. It was a handful of them, standing behind curtains in the autograph section of the main hall. He could hear some people chatting on the other side of the curtain, and sneaking by to look through the curtains he noticed a few people standing in line for him.

 

 

Finally, the meet and greet began, and he was surprised to see some people who actually looked at his content and were fans of his. Lots of smiling, selfies, and autographs later, he felt relieved. He thought it was going to be creeps but they were all nice young people. Sure there were some older folks clearly nervous to shake his hand or take a photo with him, but he felt better. So much better, in fact, that he didn’t notice a certain person in line until the end of it all.

 

 

Standing in front of him with a wide grin, was Lance fucking McLain.

 

 

“Hey handsome, come here often?” All Keith could do was groan.

 

 

“What are you doing here?” Keith stood up, crossing his arms and looking away. His face was warm all of a sudden and he couldn't bare to stare at the tan man in front of him.

 

 

“I’m here to meet you. Officially, anyway.” Keith raised one of his eyebrows.

 

 

“And?”

 

 

“What?” Keith sighed, uncrossing his arms and placing his hands on the table, his eyes fixed on the tables contents.

 

 

“Are you going to apologize about last night?”

 

 

Lance raised his hands up. “Whoa, what did I do? Gotta be honest, I don’t remember a lot but I can assure you that I didn’t do anything.” Keith looked up at him, the most furious look on his face that was both cold as ice and hot as hellfire. Keith tried very hard, but his blushing could not be contained at that moment.

 

 

“Okay, so I may have accidentally fell asleep on your floor. But I was drunk as hell and if I could remember last night, I’d apologize about whatever I did to make you upset.”

 

 

Keith sighed. “Look, I need to go. Just don’t bother me anymore. You’ve already ruined my day, it was going well too.” Lance said nothing. Keith watched as Lance turned around and walked away, turning his head to stare back at him one last time before disappearing into the crowd that was hogging the walking space.

 

 

“Stupid Keith. Look what you did.” He whispered to himself, sitting at the table, head in his hands.

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the day, Keith ordered a bottle of wine and drank every last drop of it, scrolling through YouTube, watching videos. His drunken state had him forget about how angry he was at Lance. His fingers typed along the keyboard and clicked on a video. About Lance.

 

 

He spent the next few hours watching Lance’s sketches, actually laughing about whatever stupid shit was going on in each video. It was like a breath of fresh air. How could his obnoxious laughter be so attractive? How could his cheesy smile be so alluring? How did his jokes become the most hilarious thing since the creation of internet memes?

 

 

Before he knew it, it was time for the party. Trying to sober up a little, he drank a full glass of water and picked out something to wear from his suitcase. He couldn’t wear something he already wore that day or the night before. He had a taste for classy but also punk rock attire, so in order to be comfortable but also feel good about his appearance, he chose a simple black t-shirt and some jeans fashioned with some gloves. If he was going to the party still buzzed, he wanted to make sure he could hold a glass. He wasn’t going to impress anyone, no. Definitely not. He just wanted to look good. Not for anyone, just himself, and more certainly not because Lance was going to be there. Oh god, Lance was going to be there.


	5. Shape of You: Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance can't handle himself.

Lance knew spending lunch with his friends could make him feel better, even if he was suffering from a headache most of the day. His handler stopped by his room after he’d had lunch, letting him know that he’d need to be at his meet and greet at least fifteen minutes before it started. He didn’t have a lot of time to goof off, but he knew that he’d get into trouble if he was late, but Lance didn’t care. He wanted to talk to that guy again. Pidge, being the sneaky little weirdo that they are, told him that the strangers name was Keith Kogane. Lance didn’t even know he was a guest, but after that fact and knowing his name, he wanted to talk to him again before his own meet and greet. He got lucky, finding his autograph booth and waiting in line like he was a fan. He was surprised he wasn’t noticed, considering he had been needing a handler since he was also a guest. But he liked no one was talking to him, it gave Lance a little anonymity so he would go unnoticed.

 

 

Seeing the line disappear quickly, he took a breath, trying to calm his nerves. He didn’t know why he was so nervous, but he was. There he was, Keith Kogane, sitting at his table organizing the items on the table before he looked up to see Lance standing in front of him.

 

 

Trying to seem friendly, using his can-do attitude and flirting persona, he smiled. “Hey handsome, come here often?”

 

 

Keith stood up and crossed his arms. “What are you doing here?” Lance felt his body sweat. He needed to calm down. It wasn’t that big of a deal to see this guy with his stupid haircut and his stupid face and his stupid attitude but fuck, he had to admit to himself that Keith was fucking cute.

 

 

“I’m here to meet you, officially anyway...” Lance replied, clearly not able to control the situation and the very negative atmosphere.

 

 

“And?” Keith asked, pissed off. He was not happy, apparently.

 

 

“What?” Lance was a little confused. Then, Keith placed his hands on the table looking down.

 

 

“Are you going to apologize about last night?” Lance raised his hands up, trying his hardest to keep himself away from Keith. He really didn’t want confrontation.

 

“Whoa, what did I do? Gotta be honest, don’t remember a lot but I can assure you that I didn’t do anything.” Lance noticed Keith blushing. He was blushing, even with the most infuriating look on his face. Shit, this guy had a look that could kill a man. If this was a completely different situation and they were alone, he’d let Keith do whatever he wanted with him. With that kind of look, Lance would let him strangle him to death.

 

 

“Okay...” Lance dropped his hands. “So, I may have accidentally fell asleep on your floor. But I was drunk as hell and if I could remember last night, I’d apologize about what I did to make you upset.”

 

 

Keith sighed. “Look, I need to go. Just don’t bother me anymore. You’ve already ruined my day, it was going so well too.”

 

 

Lance couldn’t respond. He was completely unable to reply with any witty remark, when he usually would just throw back some comment or joke, but this time, nothing. His mind was blank. All he could do was walk away. Before he walked into the traffic of fans heading towards one direction, the direction to his own meet and greet booth, he turned around and stared back at Keith. Lance hoped Keith would have at least had some manners and say bye, but he just stood there watching Lance walk into the crowd.

 

 

 

 

 

Lance reached his meet and greet booth, clearly his handler was angry at him for not showing up fifteen minutes prior like he was told to. It was boring, long lines of young fans telling him how creative he was, how funny he was, how people have met their soulmates and even spouses because they were fans of his. After that upsetting meetup with Keith, the positive responses from fans and their stories made him almost forget about the pale angry mullet man. Almost.

 

 

 

Finally, the line disappeared and he was free to go to his room until the guest party that was being held in the lounge. Turned out, the meet and greet lasted longer than it was supposed to so Lance couldn’t enjoy more than a couple of hours until the guest party. Hunk and Pidge texted him at the same time to “please eat something and have your phone charged” because they both knew he would be drinking.

 

 

 

Lance did eventually eat, after Hunk forcefully ordered something to his door. He had no choice but to eat it, knowing Hunk, he’d chosen something delicious and full for him to consume before the nights drinking shenanigans. It honestly annoyed him, but the love was there, so he took in the dinner Hunk had ordered for him and scarfed it down before getting dressed.

 

 

 

Lance didn’t have much in his suitcase that he packed, but because Pidge put themselves in charge of the packing, he knew there would be something in there for that night. Rummaging through his clothes, he managed to find a white tank, a blue collared shirt that he forgot was in his closet, and some really comfy shorts that he would often wear when he went on his morning runs. Honestly, he liked running, it gave him some mental energy to brainstorm, which was weird but it worked.

 

 

Checking himself out in the mirror, he felt anxious. He’d never felt like this going to a party, usually he’d just take a selfie with his shirt pulled up. But now, he was fixing his hair, telling himself that it was just a party and Keith wasn’t going to notice him. He told himself that things would be fine, he’d have some drinks and have fun with Hunk and forget about the anger in Keiths eyes, the kind of fire in them that heated up his entire body.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lance arrived at the lounge a little after it began, finding Hunk waiting for him at a table with a glass of water.

 

 

“Yo, Lance! Did you eat?” Hunk asked, trying to shout over the loud music playing from the speakers by the DJ booth.

 

 

“Yeah, thanks for that. Wouldn’t have figured out what to eat if you didn’t do that for me, bro!” Lance replied. His eyes scanned the room while talking with Hunk, looking for the bar. Once spotted, he headed straight for it, feeling parched. He tried to not look for a certain haircut in the dark and crowded room, but he couldn’t help himself once he ordered his drink.

 

 

No sign of the mullet, he sighed. He really didn’t want to see the guy, he seemed really angry with him earlier that day and didn’t want to do something he’d regret.

 

 

 

After taking his drink to his table, he chatted to Hunk about random stuff like how his meet and greet went and what he did all day after lunch.

 

 

“So, did you go see that guy?” Lance was taking a sip of his drink and spat it out onto the table.

 

 

“What the hell dude?” Lance responded. He couldn’t believe Hunk was bringing that up and wasting some of his alcohol.

 

 

“What? I’m just curious. Don’t forget about that bet you made with Pidge.” Hunk nudged Lance with his elbow. Lance groaned, really not wanting to think about the fact that he has his number already.

 

 

Soon, his cup was empty and decided to get up for another drink. Walking to the bar, he saw someone fashioning a mullet. It was Keith, it had to be him. Who else would have a mullet in 2018?

 

 

Lance ordered another drink, keeping his eyes fixed to the wall in front of him to avoid looking to his right where Keith was standing. He kept shifting his eyes to Keith, though. He couldn’t fight it off, the alcohol was starting to kick in. They avoided talking to one another, not wanting to make this awkward moment worse.

 

 

 

Lance took his drink to the dance floor when a song came on that made everyone flood to the empty space near the DJ booth. Hunk joined in for a few minutes before leaving to have something non-alcoholic from the bar. Hunk really didn’t drink, made his stomach upset too much. Lance understood that before when they began trying out what alcohol they could all handle when they became twenty one.

 

 

Lance had a few more drinks and danced with a few more friends from his comedian circle before he was completely drunk. On the dance floor, Lance kept looking for Keith without thinking now, watching his movements once Keith caught his eye. He wasn’t avoiding him anymore once Keith saw Lance staring at him while he was dancing. Shape of You by Ed Sheeran came on and the atmosphere changed immediately. Lance was swaying softly, drink still in hand as he watched Keith shake his hips and move towards him. He didn’t know what this was, but he wasn’t thinking clearly about what was happening. Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s shoulders, swaying along with Lance’s movements.

 

 

Keith was so close to Lance now, his body was completely taken by the music, feeling Keiths body heat warm him up more than the alcohol was. Lance lead Keith to the table nearby so he could put down his drink, being pulled away from Keiths embrace. Keiths hands made their way to Lances hips, feeling too hot to wear his overshirt and Lance had to take it off. He wanted to enjoy this dance as much as sober him would have. He pulled the shirt off quickly just as Keith pulled Lance back to the dance floor, pushing his body against him, still facing one another. Then Keith spun around, his ass grinding against Lance now, and he could feel himself get a little hard, like Keith was some dick charmer. The way Keith was moving with him and against him had him infatuated with the energy Keith was emanating. Lances hand slithered up and down Keiths chest and abdomen, still swaying to the beat. They spun around the dance floor together, pushing Keith away so he could do a few spins with their hands joined together about them. The song was nearly over and he noticed each time he spun Keith around, he got closer to his face. A few seconds before the song was over, Keith was inches from Lances face, hovering lips and heavy breaths made Lances body shake with anticipation. He could see each detail in Keiths face now, his lashes fluttering, his pupils dilated, his lips thin yet inviting, and just as the song ended, Keiths hand somehow had reached Lance’s cheeks. His instinct took over and Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, and suddenly they were kissing. It was like Lance was dead until that moment, feeling the spark of the kiss bring him to life.

 

 

 

A new song had already started before they pulled away. Keith bit his lip, staring back in Lances eyes that hadn’t looked away once they parted. Something in Lances chest was tight, as if Keith took his breath away and the only way for him to breath again was to keep kissing him. Lance didn’t even notice he was kissing Keith again until he bumped into someone who was dancing. They pulled away from their kiss again, holding hands. Lance wanted more, needed more.

 

 

“Wanna go somewhere else?” Lance asked, grabbing his shirt from the table nearby and looking back at Keith. Keith nodded slowly, tightening his grip on Lances hand. Without hesitation Lance pulled Keith out of the lounge and to the elevators.

 

 

Once inside, Lance pressed a button and started kissing Keith again. He felt himself harden in his shorts more, drunk from the alcohol in his system and the heat of Keiths body against him. He was addicted to this now, not pulling away from a moment until the elevator stopped and they both stepped out, hand in hand. They sprinted to Keiths hotel room, Lance standing awkwardly as Keith fidgeted with the contents in his pocket to retrieve the keycard. Finally, it was opened and as soon as the door closed behind them, Lance practically threw himself at Keith, lips meeting once again.


	6. Intoxicated Night: Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance have a hot night. Purely smut.

His mind was foggy, knowing very well that he was too drunk to fight off whatever thoughts were racing through his head. He had decided to have one more drink before going to the dance floor. It was all free and he wanted to take advantage of it while it lasted.

 

 

While ordering his drink at the bar, he saw someone at the corner of his eye, Lance McLain. He didn’t even notice he was blushing but he was. Thankfully, he wasn’t there very long. Keiths drink arrived quickly after Lances did.

 

 

 

Taking his drink to the dance floor, he let the music flow through his body. He wanted to forget the feeling of awkwardness and anger. He didn’t want to think about Lance anymore than he already did that day. Keith finished his drink and set it on a table before going back to the dance floor to enjoy the atmosphere. Everyone around him was dancing so effortlessly, giving in and letting go of their fears. And thats what Keith did too, let the alcohol take over his mind and forget about his worries of the day. But then, Keith saw Lance again, this time on the dance floor, a drink in his hand and dancing with a circle of friends.

 

 

He felt something in his gut, envious at how he was having a good time. Keith couldn’t understand how he was feeling like that, he didn’t really care about how much fun Lance was having, right? The drinks in his system begged to differ, though. Intoxicated from the alcohol and the music, he danced his way towards Lance without getting noticed.

 

 

Then the song changed and Lance was staring, Keith was in clear sight of him. Giving up fighting his emotions thanks to the alcohol, he shook his body across the dance floor, eventually making his way to Lance. He looked surprised, but Keith couldn’t help but be flirtatious now that he was literally clinging to the tanned guy. He didn’t care what song was playing, he only cared about how good he was feeling in that moment, pushing and pulling with Lance in his hands.

 

 

Lance was smiling halfway through the song, and Keith could tell that Lance was enjoying his dance. Each time he spun around he got closer and closer to Lance until he was so close he could feel Lances hard breathing against his lips. Then, they were kissing and Keith melted in it. Pulling away from the kiss was hard for him, biting his lip.

 

 

“Wanna go somewhere else?” Lance asked and all Keith could do was nod. He was dragged out of the lounge, into the elevator and they were making out again. He couldn’t stand how tight his pants actually were now, running down the hall to his hotel door. He struggled with his keycard in his pocket and opening the door. But he was so thankful that the door finally closed behind them once they were inside.

 

 

Lips meeting again, Keith was pushed towards his bed, sitting down to kick off his shoes. Lance threw his shirt onto the floor that was in his hand still. Keith slid his hands up underneath Lance shirt, wanting more skin to touch him. Lance was trying to get Keiths shirt off at the same time while they were kissing, and they had to pull apart to laugh and strip off their shirts.

 

 

Shirts thrown across the room, Lance laid Keith down on the bed, kissing his lips, then his cheek, then his neck. Keith wanted his pants off badly, feeling extreme discomfort with his hard on suffocating beneath his jeans. Lance nibbled on his neck causing Keith to moan. He felt Lances hands slid down to Keiths zipper and started stripping him of his pants, taking deep breaths of relief once they were completely off. His cock free from his jeans, Lance began to grope his clothed cock, earning another moan from Keith. He could barely sit up on his elbows to look at Lance. Keith felt Lance pull away and he looked up to see him stripping off his own pants. Keith bit his lip again, his eyes tracing up and down Lances body, eventually stopping at his crotch where his surprising large cock was pitching a nice tent in his boxers.

 

 

“Take them off.” Keith demanded. He wanted to see it, needed to see it. Without hesitation, Lance pulled down his boxers and threw them off to the side where their clothes were piled up. Keith then sat up and pulled off his boxer briefs and also threw them off to the side. Both completely naked, Keith stood up and pushed Lance against the bed. Keith had him pinned down, lips meeting once again, their tongues met in Lances mouth and he tasted like alcohol and sugar. Turned out Lance liked the fruity drinks.

 

 

Keith pulled away to chuckle. “What do you want me to do?” He whispered softly, yet demanding. Lance responded quickly.

 

 

“Touch me please.” He was whining and Keith felt his cock twitch. He was begging, and Keith had to admit that this was fucking fantastic. Keith slid down to Lances cock and started stroking it, a groan escaping Lances mouth.

 

 

“You like that?” Keith asked and Lance responded with a nod and a moan.

 

 

“What if I did this…?” Keith asked, licking the tip of Lances cock. He lapped at the precum already dripping from the head of his dick and all Lance could do was buck up against Keiths hand and tongue.

 

 

  
“What do you want, Lance?” Keith asked another question.

 

 

“Please, more more more….” Lance responded, whining again. Keith bit his lip as his cock twitched again.

 

 

“Use your words.” Keith demanded. Lance moaned from how in control Keith sounded and he was so fucking proud of it.

 

 

Lance sat up and pulled Keith into a heated kiss, pulling away to respond. “Please touch me more, doesn’t matter what you do, just please touch me.” Keith smiled, kissing Lance while positioning himself to sit in his lap.

 

 

 

Their cocks touching, Keith wrapping his hands around them, slowly stroking them together. Lance kissed Keith sloppily, feeling him buck his hips up against Keith. Then, he felt Lances hand slither around Keith, grabbing at his ass and gripping it softly. Keith stopped kissing Lance to look into his eyes.

 

 

“Do you want to fuck me?” Lance swallowed and nodded.

 

 

“Yes, please.” Lance softly repsonded.

 

 

 

Keith stood up, rummaging through his suitcase for his lube and a condom. Once found he placed the items onto the bed and squirted lube on his hand before laying face down against the bed. Lance grabbed Keiths hand to stop him.

 

 

“What?” Keith asked. Lance smiled as Keith sat up to look back at him.

 

 

“Can I do it for you?” Lance somehow already had the bottle of lube in his hand.

 

 

Blushing, Keith answered. “Oh-okay...” Keith laid back down and felt Lances hand covered in the cold lube enter his hole. He’d done this plenty of times before on his own, but no one else has ever done it for him. This was different, sure, but it was just as easy. One finger then turned into two and then quickly into three. Lance kept slowly twisting and turning his fingers inside Keiths hole, eventually touching his prostate and Keith twitched in response, pushing his ass against Lances hand.

 

 

Keith heard Lance chuckle and whispered. “Found it.” Keith took deep breaths as Lance removed his fingers, which made him feel empty and needy. He saw Lance laid down next to him, it was clear that Lance wanted Keith to be on top. Without words, Keith sat up and climbed over Lance, positioning himself over Lances condom covered cock. Slowly, Keith slid down on the head of Lance dick.

 

 

Lance moaned, obvious that he wanted to pull Keith down onto his cock more. Eventually, Lances cock was full inside Keith and he took deep breaths, feeling the hot and throbbing dick inside of him. Lance sat up slowly, pulling Keith against his chest.

 

 

Keith whispered into his ear, “you can move now.” And Lance didn’t wait for moment before he was bucking upwards into Keith, earning a moan. They were kissing again, feeling Lances cock rub his insides in a way that made Keith unable to keep his eyes open or his voice down.

 

 

Lance turned him over onto his back, still inside Keith so he could fuck him better. Pulling out slowly and pushing into his quickly, Keith began tossing and turning his head, breathing heavily and moaning with each thrust. His cock was aching now, reaching hand down to it to stroke while Lance was still fucking him.

 

 

Lance hit Keiths prostate quicker than he expected, feeling pressure his in lower abdomen. Keith moaned loudly, the kind that comes from the chest, powerful and roaring. Lance hit it again, making Keith shout and whine. Keith opened his eyes when Lance stopped moving, looking up at him to see his signature smirk before ramming into him again, pressing on his prostate. Keith threw his head back, feeling heat in his stomach.

 

 

“Don’t stop, please, I’m gonna cum.” Keith pleaded, feeling Lance buck his hips more.

 

 

“Me, too.” Lance responded, sweat dripping from Lances forehead. His thrusts came faster, pulling Keith into a kiss even though Keith was still moaning loudly. Lance groaned, feeling his body move quicker into Keith.

 

 

“I’m gonna cum, Keith…. Keith...” Lance moaned, and Keith felt his body shake. He felt a wave of pleasure envelope him, his cock throbbing as cum splattered against his chest. Keiths voice was hoarse from moaning and his breaths were heavy and short, like he was drowning. Lance shortly came after Keith, slowing his thrusts until he came to a complete stop. Lances hand was on Keiths cheek, pulling him into a soft kiss, without thinking Keith kissed back. He felt Lance pull out and climb off the bed, but Keith had no energy to even sit up, let alone get off the bed to clean himself up.

 

 

Keith laid on the bed, trying to calm his breathing. He felt cold, the heat emanating from his body dissipating. Suddenly, he felt a wet hand towel on him, which surprised him. He sat up and saw Lance wiping his stomach. Thankfully, it wasn’t a lot, so once Lance was done, he laid down next to Keith, wrapping his arms around him. The comfort of Lance wrapping himself around him made Keith feel warm again. The last thing he remembered was Lances humming as he drifted off to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keith woke up the next morning with the sunlight flowing into his room. He smiled, feeling surprisingly refreshed, which he hadn’t felt in such a long time. He turned onto his back, stretching and realizing he was naked, he sat up. He wasn’t covered by the blanket on the bed, but a blue collared shirt. Keith rubbed his eyes, trying to recollect the events of the night before.

 

 

He turned his head to see the bed was empty, remembering what happened. He pulled the shirt up to his chest thinking about the lounge party and the addictive heat and feeling of Lance. Keith groaned, falling onto the bed and covering his face with his hands.

 

 

“I can’t believe I did that...”


	7. Drunk Text: Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has a busy day. Lotor shows up. K.

Lance opened his eyes, feeling an ache in his head and a sudden chill against his back. He sat up, his hand searching for his phone. Suddenly, he realized he was naked. Lance turned to see someone sleeping next to him, also naked. It was Keith. He looked around the room and realized he wasn’t in his room. Again. Getting up, he looked for his pants, eventually finding them by the desk in the room. He pulled out his phone and saw the time. It was a little after seven in the morning and he felt dizzy from the headache. Lance grabbed his clothes and ran to the bathroom to pee and get dressed. He looked into the mirror to see serious bedhead. Trying to remember the night before, it was blurred, just like Thursday night.

 

 

They were both in Keiths bed, naked. Messy hair and feeling good. They couldn’t have had sex, right? Turning his head to the trashcan in the bathroom, he saw a used condom inside the plastic bag. Yeah, that really happened. He walked out of the bathroom and turned towards the door. He looked at his collared shirt in his hand, turned back to the room and sighed. He couldn’t just leave the room without covering Keith up. They didn’t even use the bed covers.

 

 

Lance walked over to the bed where Keith was sound asleep, carefully covering Keiths lower body with his shirt. Keith groaned and turned over, facing the other wall away from him. He really didn’t want Keith to wake up. He felt like if he did, Keith would probably start a fight with him or something.

 

 

Lance left the hotel room quietly, making his way to his room to have a shower and have something to eat, and probably take some medication for his headache.

 

 

Entering his room, he saw a note on his floor addressed to him from Hunk.

 

 

“I have breakfast coming for you at 8. -H”

 

 

Lance smiled, thankful for great friends in his life that look out for him. He hopped into the shower, trying to figure out how he got into Keiths room, into his bed, naked.

 

 

The rest of the morning, he thought about sending a text to Keith, realizing the number in his pocket was his. He hadn’t met anyone else that weekend with the letter K as their first initial. And he woke up to that note while he was in Keiths room. It had to be his. Then, Lance started laughing. He couldn’t believe he had Keiths number the whole time he made that bet with Pidge. It was the weirdest Vidcon he’d ever experienced and it was only the morning of day two.

 

 

Lance met with his handler once his breakfast arrived, informing of his extremely packed schedule. He had a solo panel, partial participation in the main event that had many guests, the kind of event where each guest gets about fifteen to twenty minutes to talk about whatever they’d like, as long as its approved by the host of the main event. Then he had a break for lunch followed by an autograph signing that is supposed to take a couple of hours, but Lance liked to run his signings longer than that. It was a lot, but nothing Lance couldn’t handle.

 

 

Lance barely saw Hunk or Pidge in the morning, although during his solo panel, Pidge was in the front row livestreaming it. He was grateful for it, though, he knew there were fans that couldn’t make it to his panel so they got to see it. Everyone asking questions were polite, some were a little overactive and excited. He even got some great questions that he got to explain, like how he started, his family, and of course what happened with his exgirlfriend, although not a lot of details were said. It was a little personal, but damn, he really didn’t want to relive that. Eventually, someone asked if he was dating anyone and Lance had to tell people to not ask about his relationships, it wasn’t what his life was about and something he didn’t share with the world the way most influencers do.

 

 

 

It ended faster than Lance thought, but he was happy and completely forgot about Keith. That is, until he went to the main event that would be livestreamed. Of course, Lance didn’t prepare anything, but he never prepared anything, always winging everything.

 

 

It started with the most popular YouTubers, gradually adding some unfamiliar names that somehow had fans screaming in the crowd. Then, a YouTuber named Lotor showed up on the stage, which Lance hated with a passion. Lotor was the kind of creator that faked it until he made it, basically. He faked pranks, lied about pranks and calling them social experiments, and had really shitty tours across California that usually resulted in police being called due to a disturbance. And boy, he had enemies. He was on thin ice at Vidcon, too. One slip-up at the convention center and he’d be banned indefinitely.

 

 

Lance watched the livestream to see what Lotor would say and do while on the stage. It was tame, mostly. Talking about how he started and how he wanted his channel to be more than just pranks and shit like that, announcing that he would start making music. Lance groaned, he knew Lotor had no musical bone in his body. Then, a video started playing on the screen, it was a shitty rapping video about being rich.

 

 

Lance walked away to grab some water, needing to get away from the awful sounds coming from the main stage. He just wanted it to be over. Thank god, it was really short, but then it was Lances turn.

 

 

He appeared on the stage, waving and hearing fans cheer in the crowd.

 

 

“Hello, beautiful ladies! And handsome men! Can’t forget about you guys out there!” Lance said into the microphone in his hand, winking.

 

Lance talked about how he started, like most YouTubers did. He shouted out his friends, of course, hearing cheers from the crowd when he said Hunk and Pidges names. He told a story about his mom and how proud he was to have her in his life to teach him about life and gave a little inspiring speech, telling the crowd to always love and care for their parents. At the end of his time on stage, he told people to check out his channel and walked off the stage for the next person.

 

 

Pidge and Hunk met Lance after the event for lunch, meeting in the hall near the elevators.

 

 

“So, back to the restaurant or do you want something else for lunch this time?” Pidge asked, scrolling through their phone and reading tweets. Hunk was just standing around, fidgeting with his fingers. Lance noticed he wanted to talk about something, but shrugged it off when his stomach rumbled.

 

 

“Its whatever you guys want. Just remember I have an autograph signing in a few hours so I can’t be away from the con center too long.” Hunk sighed.

 

 

“Me too, I just don’t want fast food. I’ve been trying to keep my body healthy, plus I get stomach cramps after all that salt and grease.”

 

 

Pidge scrolled through their phone for another minute before smiling. “What if we just ate at this local vendor? Its apparently really popular and has a high rating online. It even has vegetarian options.” Hunk and Lance nodded.

 

 

“Sounds good to me.”

 

 

 

 

 

Turned out the vendor was a lot more popular than Pidge thought, seeing people waiting in line. It was hot as hell outside, seeing people drinking water while waiting for their turn. Lance felt defeated. He wouldn’t be able to eat and get back to the con center in time with how long the line was.

 

 

Then, a miracle happened. Screaming fans started running towards the convention center down the street, a certain long haired fuckboy running ahead of them with a vlog camera in his hand. The line of people dispersed and followed the crowds of screaming fans. Lance smiled and ran up to the vendor, followed by Hunk and Pidge. Lance knew that Lotor, the one being swarmed by fans, would get in serious trouble for his behavior once he reached the convention center property, but his stomach was cramping from how hungry he was that he really didn’t care about the asshole at that moment. All he wanted was this vendors food, some of which he’d never tried before. They apparently sold all kinds of Spanish food, most being finger foods and stuff you need to eat with your hands. Even if it was food he needed utensils to eat with, he’d just be shoving whatever was in his hands into his mouth without any need for plasticware.

 

 

They all ordered their food, waiting in the shade nearby. Lance was scrolling through Twitter, reading dumb shit that was happening at the convention center with Lotor while Hunk and Pidge whispered to one another. Lance kept glancing over at them as they giggled and laughed. At one point, Pidge gasped loudly, prompting a shush from Hunk. Now Lance had to know what they were talking about.

 

 

“Uh, did you forget to invite C or is this just an AB conversation?”

 

 

Pidge leaned forward, staring straight into Lances eyes. “You went drinking again last night huh?” Lance felt his body break into a cold sweat.

 

 

“Uh, yeah… Why? What did Hunk tell you?” Hunk covered his mouth, shaking his head.

 

 

“You went to that lounge party with Hunk, but you didn’t leave with him, did you?” Lance avoided eye contact.

 

 

“I don’t remember! Hunk, why are you keeping quiet over there?” Lance felt betrayed, of course, it wasn’t anything against his best friends, he just wanted certain things to be a secret.

 

 

“They pulled it out of me, okay? I’m sorry. If I didn’t tell them, they said they wouldn’t let me test one of their brothers newest game that I’ve been dying to play!” Hunk ran off to the vendor to grab their lunches while Lance looked back at Pidge.

 

 

“Alright, why did you force that out of him? Whats got you all investagor-mode, huh?” Lance placed his hands on his hips, feeling defensive. There wasn’t any reason as to why he was acting like this, why did it bother him so much?

 

 

“This is why I’m asking you.” Pidge pulled up their phone, a tweet on the screen.

 

 

@lanceseyebrow

I JUST SAW LANCE HOLDING HANDS WITH SOME ASIAN GUY OMG

 

@lanceylancefan69

THEY WENT INTO THE ELEVATOR TOEGETHER BUT I MISSED IT SO I DONT KNOW WHTS GOING ON

 

 

Lance felt upset, he had no idea fans were watching for his next move the night before. Hell, he couldn’t remember what happened.

 

 

“Yeah, I was drinking okay? I don’t even remember what happened last night.”

 

 

“There’s more.” Pidge pulled up another tweet to Lances face and he grabbed ahold of it this time, in shock by what he read.

 

 

 

@hardymclame

whoever is here at #vidcon yelling the name keith please fucking stop i’m trying to sleep

 

 

 

Lance blushed, horrified. He couldn’t believe was he was reading. “This is fucking embarrassing...”

 

 

“Yeah, it is. Thankfully, only we know. And now we know where you were. Which also means you didn’t fucking go to bed in your room last night, again.” Pidge wasn’t being mean for a malicious reason, they actually cared about Lance and he knew.

 

 

“Sorry I got mad. I need some control in my life, maybe I really need to lay off the alcohol for a little while.”

 

 

“Whoa, not tonight. You promised we’d film a Cards Against Humanity game tonight and there’s no way you and Pidge can play sober!” Hunk butted into the conversation, food in plastic bags. “Lets go eat this somewhere and talk more. I know Lance wants to get off this topic, so lets figure out what our plans are after our autograph signings, okay?” Lance exhaled, hand on his chest. Hunk always had his back with Pidge. They would get overexcited about certain discussions, Lances sex life being one of them.

 

 

 

After lunch, Lance agreed to meet Pidge and Hunk in his room after his autograph signing before heading over to the autograph booths in the main hall. It was almost just as packed as the day before, the line longer than it had been on Friday. Half of the people in line Lance saw the day before, chatting with him about something exciting that happened, like a couple that finally started dating or a married couple who got the news that they were gonna have a child. Lance was really happy from hearing those things. A couple even got engaged halfway through the signing. It was really silly but the couple was crying.

 

 

Lance was grateful once the line disappeared. He was so exhausted from smiling and seeing happy couples, he just wanted to go hang out with his friends in his room for awhile. It was stupid, feeling envious because happy couples were literally everywhere. Lance was happy to see others happy, obviously. But something in his chest made him feel… lonely.

 

 

Walking to the elevators, he noticed more and more that love was in the air. It was the middle of summer, but it felt like spring again. Couples gave smiles and gifts and kisses to their partners all over the place as Lance reached the elevators. As he waited for an elevator, he saw a guy smiling and blushing as he was talking with another guy, both holding hands and kissing. He wondered if he’d ever find someone who would love him like that. Finally, the elevator arrived and Lance stepped in, hovering over Keiths floor button. His face felt hot, quickly pressing his own floor button. He got so used to going to Keiths floor and he’d only been in his room twice the entire weekend. It was only the second day of this convention and he was already subconsciously thinking about Keith. He felt like he made a mistake going to Keiths room the night before.

 

 

Lance eventually arrived at his room, opening it to find Hunk and Pidge having a competition to see who could catch popcorn in their mouths, pieces of popcorn all over the floor accompanied by the Cards Against Humanity box.

 

 

“Alright, clean this up, and I don’t mean by eating it all off the floor.” Lance joked, grabbing the trashcan from the bathroom. He was reminded of that morning as he held the trashcan in his hand while walking towards the middle of the floor. He shook his head, helping pick up the food from the floor.

 

 

They set up their card game as Pidge ordered some alcohol for them and Lance. Lance set up his camera on the tripod and began recording.

 

 

“Whaddup you nerds, its Lance and I’m here with my besties, Pidge and Hunk. We’re at Vidcon so we decided to film another exciting game of Cards Against Humanity!”

 

 

The alcohol arrived, which turned out to be whiskey, Pidge loved that shit but Lance hated the taste of it. It was like drinking gasoline, or at least what he thought gasoline would taste like. Thankfully Pidge ordered some hard cider for Lance, knowing he liked fruit drinks but its not like they could get margaritas or something. No one could get a bottle of that stuff ordered to a hotel room and its not like any of them could mix any drinks. Lance loved drinking but he had no skill when it came to the science of tasty adult drinks.

 

 

 

The more Lance drank, the dirtier the card game got. Eventually, Lance forgot he was filming entirely, letting of his insecurities for once since being at the convention with his friends.

 

 

 

One card suddenly came up in the game, reminding Lance of the phone number that was sitting in his wallet. He had no idea what he was doing, but while Pidge was in the bathroom and Hunk was ordering a pizza for the room, Lance grabbed his phone from his pocket and saved the number under the letter K before typing out a text.

 

 

L: hey sexy ;)

 

 

 

The pizza arrived during their card game, prompting Lance to get off the floor to grab it. Pidge pored themselves another glass of whiskey, snatching the pizza from Lances hand and taking a slice from the box before Hunk was handed the pizza to get himself a slice. Lance scarfed down a slice quickly, washing it down with his cider.

 

 

Lance felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, remembering he’d sent a text a little bit ago.

 

 

K: hey yourself ;)

 

 

Lance smiled, sending a text back.

 

 

L: what are you up to

 

 

Pidge looked over Lances shoulder. “Who are you texting there, lover boy?” Lance quickly shoved his phone into his pocket.

 

 

“Nobody!” Pidge gave Lance the side eye.

 

 

“Nobody, huh? Then who is K and why are you texting them like they’re a hookup?” Pidge teased. Lance blushed, taking his drink and downing it.

 

 

“He’s not important, okay? Can we get back to the game? We’re almost done with the black cards and I wanna finish the deck.”

 

 

“Lance, your camera is dying.” Lance stood up, quickly plugging it into the charger.

 

 

“I forgot I was filming this, oh my god.”

 

 

 

They finished up the video with shoutouts and peace outs before completing the game, all three of them still sitting on the floor eating pizza.

 

 

Checking the time, Lance noticed they had been playing for three hours, and he also spaced out when he read the new text that arrived on his phone.

 

 

K: just having some wine and watching YT. You?

 

 

 

L: playing CAH. We just finished it though. What videos you watching?

 

 

 

Pidge and Hunk stood up, cleaning the mess from the floor.

 

 

“We’re gonna head out now, I need a shower and I’m pretty sure this guy over here needs some R&R. You gonna be in here the rest of the night, Lance?” Lance turned to Pidge after placing the card box into his suitcase.

 

 

“Yeah, but I might go down to the bar for a bit. I had fun, thanks for hanging out with me. Its been a weird day.”

 

 

 

Another text. Pidge and Hunk left his room and Lance laid in his bed, phone in hand and no one to question who he was texting.

 

 

 

K: nothing in particular. What are you gonna do now that your game is over?

 

 

L: probably go to the bar idk

 

 

K: cool cool

K: wanna have a drink?

 

 

 

Lance felt his face was really warm, not sure if it was from the alcohol or him blushing. Did Keith just ask to out for a drink with him? He didn’t care right now, he just had a gut feeling that he should go and talk to Keith.

 

 

L: sure


	8. Quiet Lips: Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith thinks about Lance all day. Also, Lances shirt.

Keith’s schedule was bare once again. After getting out of bed and having a shower, he received a call from his handler, Romelle, that he could do whatever he’d like but he had to attend a signing later that day. It would be much later, probably before dinner, but it was still a mandatory part of being a guest at Vidcon. Keith sighed, sitting on his bed after the phone call. All he could think about what the night before and why Lance hadn’t left a note or texted him. He gave Lance his number and he still didn’t text him. He wondered if Lance made a mistake sleeping with him.

 

 

Lances shirt was still on the bed, untouched since he got out of bed to shower. He didn’t even talk to Shiro all day Friday, but Keith was embarrassed. He needed some advice, but Shiro had a full schedule, being a full fledged YouTuber attending this convention for creators. His brother was the only one he could talk to about this, but his pride would hurt if he reached out to him. Shiro told him once before that if he needed someone, he could talk to him about anything at any time. He even joked that he “didn’t even care if he was talking to the president,” he’d drop whatever he was doing for Keith.

 

 

Keith picked up his phone, sending a text before looking through the schedule.

 

 

K: you got time for lunch with your bro today?

 

Shiro didn’t even hesitate, sending a response.

 

 

S: you know it, i’m free around 2, my treat

 

 

Keith took a deep breath. He wanted to talk about what happened with Lance, if he even knew who Lance was, what he should do now, and check in with him to see how the whole “asking Allura out” was going.

 

 

Keith spent the next few minutes, still in nothing but his towel, looking through the days scheduled events and panels. Nothing seemed interesting. Then, he saw Lance was having a solo panel and he felt his face grow warm. He couldn’t think about Lance, he wasn’t about to go and attend the damn panel, not after the night before. He didn’t want to think about how inviting Lance had been at the lounge party, how he tasted in his mouth both kissing and other things. He fought with his body to stop reacting to the memory of Lances body on his, not now.

 

 

Realizing he hadn’t done anything for his adult blog for some time, he gave up on fighting with his body. Setting himself up on the bed, he pulled open his camera app on his phone and recorded a masturbation video. At some point, Keith grabbed ahold of Lances shirt, enveloping himself in the scent that was Lance. He climaxed quickly, letting his orgasm embrace him. Keith would give anything to be held after sex like how Lance spooned with him as they slept on his bed the night before. Stopping the video, he placed it next to him, Lances shirt on his chest, cum on his hand and his lower stomach. He felt shame instead of bliss this time. He felt… lonely.

 

 

 

Keith cleaned himself up, ordering breakfast and leaning against the ledge on his balcony. It had been awhile since he used his vape pen, but during this stressful time, he really needed to relax. Nowhere to be and nothing to do, he turned on his laptop and played some music he had saved in a playlist called “Afterlist”. Call him a weird guy, but he always loved smoking his vape and jamming to chill music after a good jerk off. He was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt now, the soiled towel laid on the bathroom floor under the sink.

 

 

Post Malone playing through his laptop speakers, he took a drag from his vape pen, the flavor of mint and nicotine coating his tastebuds. It was time for reflection and relaxation, if you could call thinking about Lance relaxing. Somehow another song came on, one he hadn’t heard in a few weeks but Keith had to guess he forgot to turn off autoplay on YouTube by the fact that it wasn’t chill or even remotely relaxing after a session.

 

 

“I like me better when I’m with you” repeated and all he could think about was how Lance made him feel adventurous when he met him Thursday night. He couldn’t admit it to himself, but running from his fans, hand in hand, was the most spontaneous and exciting thing he’d ever done in his life. Sure, at first he was uncomfortable, a complete stranger getting him mixed up with the mess that was rambunctious teens with cellphones and loud screams. But eventually, he started having fun, laughing and smiling. For that night, he was happy, his pride wouldn’t let Keith admit it to himself, though. He acted cold and annoyed when Lance fell asleep on his hotel room floor, but Friday when he was watching the obnoxious guys videos during his downtime, he was laughing and smiling again. Even the night before when they were dancing together at the lounge party, he was smiling and having fun. The booze might have helped, giving Keith that little push he needed to enjoy spending time with someone he’d just met that wasn’t his adopted brother, Shiro.

 

 

 

 

Keiths breakfast arrived and he ate it while listening to music and enjoying his vape pen and the sun on the balcony. Once it started to get too warm, he moved his laptop inside the room, shutting the sliding glass door and sitting at the desk. He glanced at the time. If he was going to see Lance, even if it was in a sea of fans, he would rather go now than never. He just had to put on some actual pants, though.

 

 

 

Before leaving his room, keycard, wallet, and phone in hand, he looked over at Lances shirt sitting alone on the bed.

 

 

“Fuck it.” Keith said, slipping it on over his t-shirt.

 

 

 

Keith sat in a row far back enough that he knew he wouldn’t be seen by Lance and watched the panel go on. Keith started learning about him more, like how his family was really supportive of him starting out, how he had two great friends who were also growing popularity and having fun doing it. He learned that Lance respected his mother, making Keith wish he knew more about his own mother. He learned more about his interests as well, like how much music means to Lance when making videos and enjoying them. He also learned he had been recently dumped and fans were so interested in his relationships that Lance had to actually tell people to stop asking about it. For someone who shared a lot about his life, he keeps some things private, which Keith found admirable, in a way. Most influencers don’t do that.

 

 

 

 

 

Lance left shortly after the panel, leaving Keith without plans. He hadn’t thought about what he wanted to do the rest of the day before lunch, so he ended up going to the main event where other people talk about themselves for like fifteen minutes or so. He’d seen clips of past Vidcon guests doing them, so he was curious. He hadn’t had a chance to roam around the convention center yet either, so he got to sit in the lounge where the livestream was playing on a projector. Most of the people he didn’t care about until he saw Shiro on the screen. There were only a handful of people in the lounge, most of them being guests who were to go on stage. Shiros time was just him talking about a healthy diet and healthy mind leading to a healthy body and how he takes care of it. He also stated that it was different for everyone so no one should really be following his diet if their body couldn’t do it, and he also said some bodies were like that. He shared how he got started, which Keith already knew. He was there for all of it, watching Shiros mental health and physical health change and eventually grow into the muscular and mentally sound guy he was.

 

 

Then, another guy went up to the stage known as Lotor. He didn’t know much about the guy other than the stupid shit people tweet about him, like how he fakes pranks and scandals about “social experiments.” He managed to get away from the lounge for something to drink because he really couldn’t hear the guy talk about himself for another second. Keith returned shortly after he was off the stage with a coffee in hand, seeing Lance was on the stage this time. He looked so cool, the lights on him and a smile across his face. Keith sipped his coffee, trying hard to avoid looking excited to see Lance. His speech was about stuff he heard at his panel, his start, his friends, and his mother. Checking the time, he realized it was almost two, running off to find Shiro.

 

 

He eventually found his brother outside, chatting with someone Keith could only guess was Allura. Based on how Shiro described her, the girl his brother was talking to had to be her. At least Shiro didn’t get it wrong, Allura was beautiful.

 

 

 

“Shiro, whats up?” Keith said, standing behind his brother, who flinched.

 

 

“Oh my god, Keith you scared me. See you later, Allura. Gonna have lunch with my bro.” Allura smiled at Keith, returning a smile.

 

 

“It was nice to meet you, enjoy your lunch.” Allura waved and walked into the lounge.

 

 

 

“Alright, where do you wanna go?” Shiro asked, pulling out his phone.

 

 

“I was thinking just the restaurant here if thats okay with you. I don’t really wanna leave the con center or the hotel if I can help it.” Keith admitted. He had time to kill, but he didn’t want to leave if Shiro had somewhere to be after eating.

 

 

 

 

 

They requested a table secluded from the rest of the restaurant to talk. Keith had to talk to Shiro about whats been on his mind, and he really didn’t want to be around others for it. They both ordered something to drink followed by their meals.

 

 

“So, whats this really about?” Shiro asked, Keith nearly choking on a sip of his water.

 

 

“Nothing, why do you assume I wanna talk? Can’t I just enjoy a nice meal with my brother?” Shiro said nothing, just gave Keith a blank stare. Busted.

 

 

“Okay, okay. I do wanna talk, but its important, alright?” Keith looked down at his hands, clasped on the table.

 

 

“Well, I’m here to listen. Spill the tea.”

 

 

“Oh god, don’t use slang, its cringy.” Keith shivered.

 

 

“You using the word to describe me using slang as ‘cringy’ is also cringy.” Shiro chuckled. “But seriously, whats on your mind? I’m all ears.”

 

 

Keith took a deep breath. “Okay, its about a guy. And I’m just really lost. I don’t really know what to do.”

 

Shiro took a gulp of his water. “Whoa, you know other people besides me?” Shiro teased.

 

 

“Shut up, I’m serious.” Keith threw a wadded napkin at Shiro.

 

 

“Okay, okay. So, is he a friend? When did you meet him?” Keith sighed.

 

 

“I don’t think I could call him a friend. And we met Thursday night.”

 

 

Shiro placed his hands on the table. “Wait, is this the same guy who was asleep on your floor? I thought he was annoying.” Keith put his face in his hands.

 

 

“Yes it is, but its different, okay?” Shiro raised an eyebrow, removing his hands from the table as their food arrived.

 

 

“Different how?”

 

 

“Well...” Keith blushed, avoiding eye contact. “We sort of met up last night and he may have spent the night in my room again for a completely different reason.”

 

 

“Oh, so a hookup? Why are you all bent out of shape then?”

 

 

Keith groaned. “Because it feels different than a hookup. And I’m completely lost. What do I do now?”

 

 

Shiro took a bite of his food, nodding. Keith took a small bite of the food on his own plate, shifting the food around.

 

 

“Well, what do you want from this new ‘friend’ you’ve made? Friends with benefits? Casual hookup friend? One night stand friend?” Shiro asked.

 

 

“I don’t know, Shiro, thats why I need advice. I can’t get him out of my head. He’s literally everywhere I look and not to mention he’s fucking cute. Like, a puppy that rips up your shoes but you still wanna cuddle that puppy kind of cute.” Shiro was smiling, staring at Keith.

 

 

 

“That’s adorable.”

 

 

“You know what, shut up. I am asking you what you think I should do now and you’re over here making jokes.” Keith crossed his arms and scoffed. He just wanted to know what to do because all he can do is think about Lance and not talk to him without him being intoxicated.

 

 

“What I think you should do is talk. Instead of telling me, you should be telling him. If he’s a good guy, he’ll understand what you’re thinking about. I know you can do this. If he doesn’t understand how you feel, let it go.” Shiro took another mouthful of food.

 

 

“Thanks bro. I guess you’re right. But I don’t even have his number.” Keith responded before taking another bite of his lunch.

 

 

“Well, guess you’ll have to talk to him in person.” Keith sighed.

 

 

“Maybe it was a good idea to give him my number, then?”

 

 

Shiro coughed, nearly choking on his food. “You gave him your number? When was this? Who are you and what did you do to my innocent brother?”

 

 

Keith chuckled. “I gave him my number when he passed out in my room on Thursday. God, that was so dumb, why did I do that?” Keith began to talk to himself, feeling an amount of self doubt. “He might not even text me.”

 

 

Shiro placed his hand on Keiths that was laying on the table. “If he likes you, he’ll contact you. I have a feeling its gonna happen. Don’t take it too hard if he doesn’t though. I’ll always be here for you, alright?” Keith looked up from the table to see Shiro smile at him sincerely.

 

 

“Thanks. This helped. I feel a little better now.” Shiro pulled away to take a spoonful of his food before changing the subject.

 

 

“Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, what the hell are you wearing? Thats not something you own. Everything in your closet is dark and made for emo kids who shop at Hot Topic.”

 

 

“Thats because its not mine.”

 

 

Shiro chuckled. “Wow, you’re just full of surprises today. I’m guessing its a little reminder, huh?” Keith reached over and slapped Shiros shoulder.

 

 

“Oh fuck off. We’re done talking about me, what about you? Did you ask Allura out yet?” Keith smirked, feeling so much better after talking about his situation.

 

 

“We’re not going there.” Shiro pointed at Keith, jokingly serious about the fact that he knew Shiro hadn’t asked her out yet.

 

 

 

 

After lunch, Shiro hugged Keith and ran off to continue with his schedule, leaving Keith to his own devices. Keith smiled, taking a deep breath. He had a couple hours before he needed to be at this autograph signing, so he headed to the bar for a little drink. He could finally enjoy some wine after going through the conversation with his brother.

 

 

 

 

 

Half an hour later, he left the bar to get some sunlight. It was really nice outside, even though it was hot as hell. Many fans were inside the convention center, so sitting outside to be alone was really surreal. He took this opportunity to have a drag of his vape pen, enjoying his time before his signing.

 

 

 

Minutes went by and Keith started hearing high pitch screams. It was distant, but he assumed it was inside the building. That is, until he saw someone with long silver hair, wearing sunglasses, some random graphic t-shirt, and a pair of jean shorts running with a camera in his hand turning around the corner. That looks like Lotor, and thats because it was. He was being chased by a large swarm of fans holding their phones and screaming loudly. Keith couldn’t get up to go inside the convention center, he didn’t have enough time before the fans crowded the outside area where he was sitting.

 

 

Thankfully, security ran outside and took control of the crowd, grabbing Lotor and pulling him away from the overly excited fans. The swarm eventually dispersed, giving Keith a moment to get up from his seat and go back inside. The situation only took a few minutes, but it was still terrifying.

 

 

Keith had time to use the bathroom before he needed to be at his autograph signing, quickly doing his business and washing his hands. He was thankful that the situation outside was something he didn’t have to worry about, his fans were all secluded older men or thirsty fuckboys. He was a little proud of his image, enjoying his sexual nature, but being secluded and alone. The more time he spent with Lance, the lonelier he felt. Keith didn’t understand why he felt like this, but his chest was tight, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He needed to stop thinking about Lance, he had an autograph signing to get to soon and he wasn’t going to spend the rest of his free time having an anxiety attack. Keith splashed water onto his face, wiping it dry with a paper towel. Looking in the mirror, he checked his hair, not a strand out of place and his clothes looked okay. He was still wearing Lance shirt, so he guessed the shirt wasn’t his, persay. Lance might have left it behind or gave it to Keith as a blanket.

 

 

Keith left the bathroom and headed to his autograph signing, taking his time to look around in the halls of the convention center. He realized there were a lot of younger people, teens specifically. It boggled his mind how different the demographic was to his. He wondered if these fans knew how their favorite creators were off the internet.

 

 

Keith eventually found himself at his autograph signing, seeing a moderate amount of people standing with items in their hands like photos and the conventions goodie bags. He sat at the table and started saying hello to people, writing his name so many times he was sick of it. He was feeling better halfway through the line, taking in the smiles and enjoyable conversations with the attendees. Some of the older fans even gave him letters talking about their self image and how his confidence helped them feel good about themselves. He’d seen comments on his Instagram photos about confidence, but this was the first time people told him in person and Keith felt his face hurt from smiling so much. He hadn’t smiled so much before. Maybe coming to this event wasn’t just a bad idea after-all.

 

 

 

Dinner plans were nonexistent for Keith, so he decided to go to his room and have a grand meal with a bottle of wine. He found himself watching Lances videos once again, enjoying his voice and the jokes while drinking his wine. It wasn’t long before he finished the bottle, completely intoxicated and giggling from the littlest things in Lances sketches.

 

 

He felt his phone vibrate on the bed, a text message notification from a number he didn’t recognize. Opening it, he just saw the words:

 

 

Hey sexy ;)

 

 

He didn’t know anyone else who had his number. Maybe this was Lance, it had to be. He didn’t meet anyone else at the event who had his number and called him sexy. Even if someone had his number, he would have gotten one in return to save under “don’t answer” followed by a feature the other person had that Keith would remember like an odor or glasses or even awful facial hair. It wasn’t his handler, Romelle, he saved her number already. Shiros was just “S”. He let the message stay on the screen, thinking if he should reply with “new phone who dis” or just plainly asking if it was Lance. But, his mind was messy from the wine and he wasn’t even remotely capable of rational thought so after a few minutes, he decided _fuck it._

 

 

K: Hey yourself ;)

 

 

Keith typed away before setting his phone down and cleaned up his dinner mess that was across his bed. He needed a distraction for a moment. He got an instant reply.

 

 

What are you up to

 

 

Keith held the phone in his hands, sitting back on the bed and looking up at his laptop, a video of Lance laughing paused on the screen.

 

 

K: just having some wine and watching YT. You?

 

 

He didn’t have any wine left, but he was definitely drunk.

 

 

Playing CAH. We just finished it though. What videos are you watching?

 

 

Keith chuckled. It was definitely Lance. Cards Against Humanity was totally a game Lance would play, and he was probably with his friends Hunk and Pidge judging from the fact that you can’t play the game alone and every time he’d seen Lance, he was with them. It was the only choice, this was Lance he was talking to. But, he couldn’t just tell him Keith was watching Lances videos, his ego didn’t need that boost. He wasn’t going to give that to him.

 

 

K: nothing in particular. What are you gonna do now that your game is over?

 

 

Keith felt a want to see Lance, in person. Maybe it was time to talk to him. Still dressed in Lances shirt, he didn’t know if he should give it back or leave it on his bed. Keith got a response before he had a chance to think about changing clothes.

 

 

L: probably go to the bar. Idk

 

 

Keith bit his lip. Maybe he should meet him at the bar? He wasn’t sure. His stomach was in knots, anxious about the fact that he was going to talk to him about this weird situation he was in.

 

 

K: cool cool

 

 

 

Keith looked around his room, making sure he didn’t forget to do anything. Dinner was done, his trash was in the trashcan, his dinner tray was in the hall, and he was dressed still, shoes on and all his personal items were in his pants pocket. Even his phone was on a full charge. Keith sighed.

 

 

“Better now than never, I guess.”

 

 

K: wanna have a drink?

 

 

Keith started pacing the room.

 

 

“Oh god, he’s gonna say no. That was so stupid, Keith what the fuck are you doing?” Keith said aloud to himself. He was feeling regretful for asking him to have a drink with him at the bar. A text popped on his phone screen, interrupting his freakout.

 

 

L: sure

 

 

 

 

Keith slipped his phone into his pocket, running out of his room and to the elevators. He wanted to see Lance again. He wanted to talk to him about whats been on his mind, but also find out what he was thinking. He didn’t want to be some nobody he had a casual fling with. He didn’t want to be some random guy he spent a night with. If he wanted anything, he was sure he wanted to be his friend. Sure, Keith had sex with Lance, but if Lance could be anything with him, it was a friend, even if they had sex once.

 

 

Keith arrived at the bar, ordering a glass of wine immediately. He’d had an entire bottle in his hotel room, but he wasn’t a light weight so it didn’t make him completely drunk.

 

 

Lance showed up at the bar a moment later, sitting next to Keith. Keith turned and smiled. He felt relief to see that he was right, it was Lance texting him.

 

 

“Uh, hi.” Keith said, nervous. Lance smiled back at him.

 

 

“Hey.” Lance looked down at Keiths shirt.

 

 

“So… what do you wanna drink?” Keith asked, trying to think of how to talk to Lance. Every time he’d talked to the guy, it was either be an utter asshole or a thirsty thot. There was no in-between, so this was a completely new way to talk with Lance.

 

 

“Oh, uhm...” Lance turned away, looking towards the bartender. “Hey, miss, can I have a Screwdriver?” The bartender nodded, starting to make his drink. Keith knew he’d order something sweet. “So, whats up?” Lance asked. “Why did you invite me to the bar? I thought you didn’t want to talk to me again.”

 

 

_Straight to the point, huh?_

 

 

“Well… I’ve never done this before, but I just wanted to talk. About last night.” Keith avoided his gaze, which was on him. Keith realized he’d been wearing Lances shirt, but he didn’t think Lance noticed.

 

 

“Oh? What about it?” Lance asked, receiving his drink and taking a sip of it.

 

 

“Do you regret it?” Keith finally blurted, looking up at Lance.

 

 

“Considering I don’t remember it, no?”

 

 

“You don’t remember? How is that possible? Don’t tell me you’re one of those drinkers?” Keith felt frustrated. Not only did he just figure out Lance doesn’t remember anything when he drinks, but he also won’t remember this conversation.

 

 

“Look, I remember some things, just not… everything.” Lance looked away from Keith, a blush darkening his cheeks. Keith couldn’t help but smirk at his response.

 

 

“What do you remember then?” Keith had to know, he needed to understand what was going on in his head and if he should bail on this date, no it wasn’t a date, definitely not a date, just two bros at the bar talking about the casual drunken sex they had the night before.

 

 

“I remember... dancing, and kissing, and...” Lance then went silent. He took a giant gulp of his drink, making a sour face. “Maybe your voice.” Lance whispered. Keith felt his face heat up at this reply. His voice? What about his voice was memorable?

 

 

“So, do you regret any of that?” Keith asked in a whisper. He felt Lances hand touching his fingers on the bar counter. Keith tried to calm himself down but the alcohol in all the wine he’d been drinking was going to his head and he couldn’t think rationally about this right now. He looped his pinky finger around Lances. Keith looked to his side, to see Lance smile.

 

 

“No, honestly. I had… fun.” Another sip of their drinks and they were holding hands.

 

 

“Do you...” Keith swallowed hard, the sweat was making his t-shirt stick to his back. “Know anything else about last night?” Did he know that they fucked? With Lances horrid memory when he drank, he must not remember that they did it, right?

 

 

“I figured it out, eventually.” Lance responded. At some point, Lance had scooted closer to Keith, their shoulders nearly touching. If Keith looked towards Lance, he was sure he’d be close enough to kiss. God, the wine made his brain foggy. Whatever wall he had up was crumbling down with the lightest touch from Lance.

 

 

“So… how do I put this...” Keith bit his lip, the knot in his stomach making him feel shaky. Lance tightened the grip on his hand, figuring out that he must be shaking. Was Lance trying to comfort him?

 

 

“Does this make us friends-” Keith asked turning to see Lance stare straight at him, his eyes half-lidded and glossy. He was so close to him that his hot breath was brushing against his lips. Keith forgot what he was talking about, only focusing on Lances lips. Suddenly, a flashing light broke the moment. Keith turned to see someone slip their phone down under their table. Lance immediately stood up, pulling Keith with him. Keith told the bartender to charge his room for the drinks before running off with Lance down the hall. They stopped running at the elevators, catching their breaths.

 

 

“What was that all about?” Keith asked, finally able to breath. Lance leaned against the wall looking up at the ceiling.

 

 

“They took a photo of us, Keith.”

 

 

“And?” Keith stood in front of Lance, arms crossed. “Whats wrong with a picture?”

 

 

“That fan is gonna post it on Twitter. I try to keep my relationships a secret for a reason. Do you even know what happens when shit like this gets out?” Keith didn’t have to worry about shit like that, he was a loner that made provocative content for the internet.

 

 

“Look, this is the first time I’ve ever been to a thing like this.” Keith inched his way towards Lance, getting closer to him. “I don’t know how these people act, but this is ridiculous. My fans are never like this.”

 

 

Lance was pushing himself against the wall, Keith finger prodding at Lances chest. “You’re the one who got me into this mess before this event even started.” Keith relaxed his hand, letting it fall to his side. “God, this never would have happened if you would have never came to my room-”

 

 

Lance pulled Keith into him, letting their lips meet. Keiths body went limp, taking in the scent of Lance and the taste of orange juice on his tongue. Keith pulled away, looking into Lances eyes that were shifting around.

 

 

“If you don’t stay quiet, they will find us.” Lance whispered. Keith could hear chatter down the hall, nothing really understandable except “where did they go” and “they were together”. Keith took this moment to press the elevator button, the doors opening immediately.

 

 

They entered into the elevator quickly, Lance pressing a button. “Where are we going?” Keith asked.

 

 

Keith noticed the button wasn’t for his floor. “Anywhere is better than down there.”

 

 

They stood in silence in the elevator. Keith wanted to clear the air, it was so tense and uncomfortable, it was making Keith unable to breath properly.

 

 

“Look, I’m sorry-” They both spoke. Lance laughed. Keith smiled.

 

 

Keith spoke first. “I’m sorry I was being an ass. Fans are terrifying, this is why I never go to events.”

 

 

Lance responded. “I’m sorry, too. I was trying to have fun, and I told myself I’d never do something like this for awhile. Sorry for mixing you up in this.”

 

 

Keith looked at Lance. “Seriously, where are we going?” Lance smirked, eyes closed before opening them and looking back at Keith.

 

 

“To my room.”


	9. Requited: Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some language not suitable for children.
> 
> Its not over yet, don't be intimated by the end of this chapter. I still have a few chapters to go. 
> 
> I've been working so hard and sleeping so much that I finally had the energy to write this for you guys. Plus it took me 3 days to write.

Is this real life? Had Lance died and ended up at the pearly gates? Well, no.

 

 

Lance and Keith had been holding hands at the bar for what felt like forever, inching closer to one another. The alcohol in Lances system had kicked in the moment he sat at the bar. The next thing Lance knew, he had been extremely close to Keith, if he turned his head a little they’d be close enough to kiss. Not paying attention to anything Keith was saying, Lance looked over Keiths facial features. His complexion was flawless, like he’d never touched it his entire life, while Lance had skin care products on his shopping list every week for years because he had bad acne as a young teen. Keiths lashes were thin, but gorgeous against the paleness of his skin. And don’t get Lance started on Keiths hair. The style was god awful, but he loved how each strand flowed gracefully as Keith turned his head.

 

 

Suddenly, Keith was staring back at Lance, glancing down at what he would assume was his lips. Lance stared down at Keiths lips as well, so close to him that he could just push himself into Keith and they would be kissing. A flashing light ruined the moment and Lance turned his head to see a fan putting away their phone under the table.

 

 

Panic mode. Lance was freaking out now. If anyone had a photo of him staring at a hot guy and literally being so close to one another that a single shove from someone would lock their lips and they post that to Twitter, it’d be news to the internet. His personal life would be ruined, his privacy would end. Forget about going to the grocery store or enjoying a meal at his local fast food restaurant. Lances mind was on standby, prompting himself to take Keiths hand and run out of the bar. And thats exactly what he did.

 

 

Once out of the main lobby and in front of the elevators, they stopped to catch their breath. Turned out it was a lot harder to run when drunk. Lance leaned against the wall next to the elevator, trying to keep his balance steady.

 

 

Keith finally caught his breath, asking Lance with attitude, “What was that all about?”

 

 

Lance looked up at the ceiling, finally able to breathe again. “They took a photo of us, Keith.”

 

 

Keith crossed his arms, responding. “And?” Keith was standing in front of him, showing an aggressive expression on his face. “Whats wrong with a picture?”

 

 

Lance pulled away from the wall, standing up straight now that the room wasn’t spinning. “That fan is gonna post it on Twitter. I try to keep my relationships a secret for a reason. Do you even know what happens when shit like this gets out?” Lance was scared. He didn’t want his privacy to be taken from him, he didn’t want to have his personal life thrown out to the public without his permission, and he didn’t want his weekend to be ruined because some fan wanted to brag about seeing something in person that they shouldn’t have seen or talked about.

 

 

Keith got in his face, anger lingering in his words. “Look, this is the first time I’ve ever been to a thing like this.” He started talking with his hands, arms still crossed. “I don’t know how these people act, but this is ridiculous. My fans are never like this.”

 

 

Keith was inches from Lance, forcing him to press his back against the wall again, a finger prodding his chest. “You’re the one who got me into this mess before this event even started.” Keith relaxed, letting his hand fall to his side, but Lance could only pay attention to how close Keith was to him. That urge to kiss this gorgeous guy came up in his chest again, just like at the bar, only this time he paid attention to a fans conversation down the hall. He didn’t even hear what Keith was saying before kissing Keith to shut him up. He felt Keith relax in his arms that he was wrapped in.

 

 

Lance pulled away slowly, looking around to make sure no one was around. Keith said nothing, reaching his hand to the elevator button and pressing it. He was still holding Keith in his arms until the elevator doors opened. When he entered, he pressed his floor button. It was time he took Keith to his own room this time. He’d be able to kiss Keith all he wanted without running away from him. The past two nights he’d ran off to his room without talking to Keith, but not this time. He felt something in his body that craved Keith, needed him like he needed to breathe. Keith wasn’t pushing him away, saying no, and he definitely noticed Keith was enjoying Lance’s advances.

 

 

“Where are we going?” Keith asked. Lance closed his eyes.

 

 

“Anywhere is better than down there.”

 

 

They stood in silence for a moment, letting Lance think about how he had been treating Keith during the weekend. He didn’t bother to think about it before, only wanted to have a good time for his own sanity. He had to admit, he’d be pissed off if he was in Keiths shoes. Then again, Lance was adventurous, so he’d go along with whatever was fun, even if it meant interrupting other plans he had set for the night. Thats just how he was, but he didn’t know a single thing about Keith. Then again, he hadn’t bothered to ask him about anything, he’d only seen him a few times during the weekend, and all those times it was because of what Lance wanted to do. Sighing, he gathered up his courage to apologize.

 

 

“Look, I’m sorry-” They both spoke in unison. Lance started laughing, hearing Keith chuckle. It was the first time he’d heard Keith laugh, and it was refreshing.

 

 

“I’m sorry I was being an ass. This is why I never go to events like this.” Keith apologetically said, looking down at this feet and leaning against the bars in the elevator. Lance felt the small space get lighter, as if the heavy air was weighing him down to the floor.

 

 

“I’m sorry, too. I was trying to have fun, and I told myself I’d never do something like this for awhile. Sorry for mixing you up in this.” Lance felt better. Maybe they could start over with a clean slate. They obviously can’t erase the memory of their night in bed, but Lance knew this was going in the right direction. Lance closed his eyes, a breath of relief escaping his throat.

 

 

“Seriously, where are we going?” Keith asked. Lance opened his eyes and looked towards Keith.

 

 

“To my room.” The elevator stopped, a ding breaking their conversation. Lance stepped out of the elevator, hand out towards Keith, begging him to take it. He was going to leave tomorrow and he didn’t want to spend the last night at the convention cooped up in his room alone, not when things started getting better with Keith. Then, Keith smiled wide, placing his hand in Lances and grasped it. Lance pulled Keith out of the elevator and headed to his room, a few doors down from the elevators.

 

 

Once he opened the door and stepped inside, he realized how messy his room looked. Clothes were everywhere and his camera was still set up, thankfully off. At least he remembered to turn it off earlier.

 

 

Lance took off his shoes and sat on the bed, patting the spot next to him for Keith to join him. Without words, he sat beside him. The moment downstairs killed the buzz they were both feeling, but Lance didn’t care right now, he was feeling good after they talked. They were finally alone, which gave Lance confidence to advance towards Keith again. He took Keiths hand in his, causing him to look into his eyes. Without speaking a single word, Lance inched himself towards Keith, eventually Keith did the same until they were able to take in each others breath. Whatever this was, it made him feel tightness in his chest again, that urge to kiss Keith. God, he was fucking cute, his lips were right there, thin but inviting. Keith was smirking, eyes half-lidded, breath was shallow but also almost a gasp. It was intimate, anticipation in the air so thick you could cut it with a dull knife. Lance was feeling it too, slowly pressing his lips against Keiths. It was different this time. The shared kiss wasn’t erotic like the kisses he’d shared before with Keith, no.

 

 

At some point, their kiss let to tongues twisting and touching in Lances mouth, which he didn’t mind, he liked it for some reason. This eventually led to both of them laying down together under Lances sheets. They were still fully clothed, but the room was cold as fuck and he really didn’t need the frigged air to ruin the moment. Lance pulled away to look at Keiths face, to see what expression he was wearing. All he saw was red cheeks against his complexion and the relaxed look in his eyes.

 

 

“So what now?” Lance asked. The intimate kiss they shared had Lances mind in the gutter, the feeling of tightness in his pants made it impossible to think about anything else. Keith stared back at Lance, very obviously drawing circles with his finger on Lances chest.

 

“We can keep doing this, and whatever happens, happens. Don’t really wanna go back to my room alone, or at all, actually.” Lance bit his lip as Keith slipped his hand down Lances chest and towards his waist.

 

The sex they shared wasn’t like the night before, if Lance could remember it. Keith didn’t demand him to do anything or use a dominant tone when asking for something from Lance. Stripping one anothers clothes was soft and warm, giggling and falling over. Hands roaming chests and thighs and groping one anothers cocks was erotic but also sensual. Lance hadn’t had sex like this, not even with his ex. It was always quick and easy and his ex would always leave the room or play on her phone afterwards instead of cuddling like he needed. Lance left marks on Keiths neck and chest, red spots covering his light skin. It was gorgeous, and they way Keith would groan and whine was palpable.

 

Lance being drunk and sobering up during the night, he didn’t think he’d be so tired until he noticed that Keith and himself were falling asleep while they were groping one anothers dicks. It wasn’t awkward, it made them chuckle. Lance couldn’t stop kissing Keith, holding him close to his chest and taking in the scent of Keith completely.

 

Lance slept so well that night, the best he’d ever fallen asleep, the best situation he’d ever gotten into, the cutest person laying next to him that he’d ever known.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning, Lance awoke and felt the dull ache in his head, yes, hangover time. He opened his eyes and saw that he was alone. Stark naked under his sheets, empty spot next to him, and feeling confused, he sat up and checked his phone. It was around ten in the morning, but the way he woke up felt wrong. He didn’t remember a whole lot from the night before, but he can definitely remember Keith in his room. They talked at the bar, they kissed a lot, and they probably fell asleep cuddling.

 

 

Lance took a shower and started packing up his stuff scattered across the room. He had to leave with Pidge and Hunk at eleven in the morning, which didn’t leave him a lot of time to think about anything else. He found socks somehow under the bathroom sink, a lone shoe in the closet (the other completely lost), and a random pair of underwear on the desk chair. Not thinking, he shoved it all in his suitcase and promptly forced it shut.

 

 

His mother taught him how to clean up after staying in any room, learning the etiquette of cleaning hotel rooms thanks to her experience in cleaning for hotels in the past. He shoved all the towels, pillowcases, and blankets into the bathtub and picked up all his trash and placed it in the trashcan and nearby it. Picking up the last of his trash, he found something on the floor by the bed, a little note signed with the letter K.

 

Give me a call sometime. -K


	10. Scandal: Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its the last day of Vidcon.... but not for Keith.

Keith awoke from his slumber in an unfamiliar place. The sun through the window was barely rising, a sleeping Lance next to him. Checking his phone, he noticed a massive list of notifications. Instagram was over a thousand likes, follows, and comments. Shiro had texted and called him at least a hundred times during the night, which had his phone battery dangerously low. Cursing at himself, he pulled his exhausted body from the bed, searched for his clothes and quickly got dressed. After using the bathroom, he looked towards Lance, still sleeping under the sheets. He’d never done this before, stay in someones room, let alone a hotel room at a convention. It was a weird situation, but leaving the room without saying goodbye was wrong. Before heading out, he wrote a little note and placed it on the pillow beside Lance, signed with the letter K just like the first one he left.

 

 

 

He arrived in his room, his brother and Romelle standing by the desk and bed, waiting.

 

 

“Where have you been?” Shiro asked. Keith avoided eye contact.

 

 

“I was with someone.” Keith responded, knowing full well that he must have been worried. “Its fine, your advice was helpful yesterday. Got some answers I needed.” Romelle looked up from her tablet.

 

 

“Thats great and all, but we had a situation yesterday. A guest here caused a small riot in the afternoon and a con goer got injured.”

 

 

Keith swore under his breath. “Are you fucking serious? What happened?”

 

 

Shiro spoke up. “The guy, Lotor, broke from his handler and started running around the convention center, fans crowded small areas and someone got trampled. According to the hospital, they’re fine, but that could have caused serious damage.” Keith remembered that, but he had no idea someone got hurt.

 

 

“So, whats that got to do with me?” Romelle sighed.

 

 

“Well, because of the incident, security will be very tight today, so if you plan to leave your hotel room, someone is going to have to stay with you.”

 

 

Keith shook his head, placing his hand over his forehead to rub the tension from it. “Wait, that doesn’t answer my question. What does that have to do with me? I’m just a guest that was a plus one thanks to Shiro. Why do I need security?”

 

Shiro pulled open his phone. “Listen, I don’t know what happened last night with you or where you went, but Twitter has been exploding with pictures and tweets about you and Lance McLain. Nearly half of these are threats against you.”

 

 

Keith couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Thats what all these notifications have been about? What the hell is going on?” He felt so confused, he hadn’t read any notifications on his phone, let alone the comments.

 

 

Keith started to pull out his phone before Shiro reached out his hand to stop him. “Don’t look at them. You don’t want to read what people are saying. Seriously.” Keith stopped before his phone slipped out of his pocket.

 

 

“So, whats the plan?” Keith asked. With no clue as to what people were saying about him, he needed to at least know what he was supposed to do the rest of the day.

 

 

Romelle pulled up something on her tablet. “Lucky for you, you have nothing planned today. No panels or autograph signings, well you did, but we cancelled them because of the threats online last night. I would suggest staying in your room today, but we can make plans for you and Shiro to leave if thats what you’d like.” Keith felt his breath shorten. He wouldn’t get to see Lance again, at least not at the convention. He didn’t even know if Lance was going to leave that day or the next. He looked towards Shiro.

 

 

“Its your call, bro. I know I don’t wanna go back down to the convention center.” Keith stated.

 

 

 

They both decided to return home. Flights for the next day were rescheduled for that day instead, hotel rooms were checked out and bags were packed. Keith left his room with a couple of security guards along with Shiro. Heading down to the taxi, they said goodbye to the security guards and their handlers before getting into the taxi and heading to the airport. Keith hadn’t spoken a single word nor checked his phone. It was probably dead by then, since he woke up with a dangerously low battery level in the first place. Shiro didn’t talk to him either, Keith figured his brother was probably worried for him.

 

 

The flight home was quiet as well, Keith only answering simple questions if he was thirsty or needed to use the restroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shiro said goodbye to Keith as he got dropped off at his apartment, a quick hug being shared. “Don’t forget to turn off your notification settings, okay? Don’t worry about the comments or what people say about you. I know how obsessive you get. If you need me, you can call me and I’ll be right over, okay?”

 

 

Keith sighed. “Thanks bro. I will.”

 

 

Shiro left, leaving Keith alone with his luggage. He headed inside his apartment and dropped his suitcase and bag by the door, shutting it softly. Keith lounged on his couch, laying on his back and draping his arm over his eyes. His phone was still dead and he hadn’t had the energy or time to charge it. His anxiety was getting to him so even the thought of plugging it into the charger was agonizing. He wanted to know what people were saying, but he was also afraid of what they were saying.

 

 

Keith looked over to his wall clock, reading half past midnight. He had no idea where the time went, he must have fallen asleep on his couch since when he arrived to his place, the sun was still out. It was quiet, the only sound was coming from his fridge. Realizing he hadn’t eaten anything that day, he got up from his couch and searched through his kitchen. Leftovers still sat on a shelf in his fridge, so he grabbed it and heated it up in the microwave before sitting down on his couch. The silence was starting to annoy him so he turned on his television and started searching through his recorded shows. He spent the night, phone completely dead and computer still tucked away him his backpack, eating and watching shows he’d missed.

 

 

 

After a few hours, he managed to fall asleep on his couch, food on the coffee table, phone still dead in his pocket, laptop still tucked away. It was the worst sleep he’d ever had, the soreness in his back and the thoughts of Lance racing through his mind as he slept.

 

 

 

Suddenly, he turned over and saw a cliffside, water slashing against it. He pulled himself away from the cliff, but a force unknown to him was pulling him closer to it. Screams at the bottom along with the waves were coming from the bottom of the cliff. The sky above him was dark, deep grey clouds thundering and lightning striking the water below. He felt his breath shorten, his heart raced quickly, fear of death was crossing his thoughts. He tried to shout for help, but nothing came out. He was terrified. It was like his voice was nonexistent, silhouettes stood in front of him as his feet began to dangle from the cliffs edge. Keith was petrified, crying and silently shouting for help. A weight suddenly was pulling him even further down, his legs now over the cliff. Keiths fingers tried gripping the ground around him, but it was all smooth rock. He looked over to see what was pulling him down and he saw Lance clinging to his thighs. As Keith sobbed, trying to stay alive, he felt his hands slip and he started to fall, his hands finally gripping onto the side of the cliff. He tried to kick off Lance from his legs, but it was like Lances arms were glued to him, his legs felt slow and painful like he’d just ran a marathon. He tried screaming for Lance to let go, but his grip relaxed and as he was falling off the cliff, he sat up and gasped for air.

 

 

Keith looked around frantically. He was still in his apartment, on his couch, his television on a random infomercial and his leftover dinner mess still on the coffee table. He was drenched in sweat and trying to catch his breath. A nightmare jolted him awake, trying to calm himself.

 

 

After a few minutes and his breath finally slowed, he looked at his television to see the time. It was a few minutes before five in the morning and his neck felt sore. He probably shouldn’t have slept on the couch, but feeling exhausted from the anxiety and the stress, he just passed out.

 

 

Keith got off the couch, cleaned up his dinner mess, and took a shower. He really didn’t want to see anything or hear anything, but the silence during his shower was agonizing, so once he hopped out of the shower, he walked out to his living room, nothing but a towel on and grabbed his phone charger. He knew he couldn’t ignore it anymore, he had to change settings and delete things before it got too much for him to handle. It would ruin his career and whatever kind of relationship he had with Lance, if there was even anything there to begin with.

 

 

After plugging in his phone, he set it down and started unpacking his luggage, setting aside his laundry to be washed at a later time. Sifting through his clothes, he found Lances shirt in the mix, wrinkled. The stench filled his nose, alcohol and Lance emanating from it. Keiths chest tightened, feeling the loss of security in his loneliness and the fear of what would have come from spending time with Lance.

 

 

Then he remembered he’d reminded Lance to text him. “Shit.” Rushing over to his phone, he saw the notifications pop up again. Clearing them out, he saw no texts from Lance. Only a few messages from Shiro, reminding him to turn off his notifications and to not read the messages. Had Lance forgotten to message him? Was he too much for him that night? Did he scare Lance off? Keiths thoughts raced through his head, anxiety and fear steadily keeping his fingers from tapping on Lances number. He couldn’t text him first, his little heart couldn’t take it if Lance didn’t respond or say something hurtful.

 

 

He decided to deal with the situation at hand, the notifications. Shutting them off felt wrong, but all the negativity was getting to him, making him feel sick to his stomach. Ignoring the world for now was what he needed most, Keiths feelings being hurt from all the painful messages and tweets directed towards him. All he could do was go offline and enjoy his time alone, hoping Lance would send a text to him to at least check on him and see if he was okay. Keith could go back to how his life was before he went to the convention. Dancing naked in his living room, watching YouTube videos, checking out the latest posts on his blog, start a cam show stream to get back to his daily routine. Remembering he was still naked in a towel, Keith walked to his room and grabbed something comfortable to wear.

 

 

Keith was so overwhelmed, he realized he had more clothes than one person needed. His spare bedroom was literally a closet. Each rack filled with different kinds of items. There was a rack full of jackets, hoodies, and sweaters, which he was fond of as the winters are harsh where he lived. Picking a pare of underwear was easy though, all of them had red in them, whether it be the trims, the waistband, or the pattern. His favorite pair was missing, forgetting that he’d probably brought it with him to the convention and had left it in the dirty laundry pile still sitting on the living room floor. Sighing, he picked the next best thing, boxer briefs with the slanted red and blue stripes. He was going to be in his apartment the entire week so he just grabbed a long and thin sweater, a shade of grey and thick enough that it wouldn’t slip off of his somewhat small but muscular frame. The material wasn’t stretchy enough to pull off of him through the neckhole, but it was soft and lounge worthy. Plus, there was a pouch on the front of it so if he wanted to, he could fit his phone, wallet, and keys inside of it and walk out the door.

 

 

After putting away his items from his suitcase and starting his laundry in his washing machine, he felt bored. Nothing to do, nothing to look at, no videos or photos to post. He would usually look through instagram, scroll through tumblr or look at Facebook, no more shows on his DVR to watch, nothing. Keith felt uneasy with the energy inside him. He usually wasn’t bored, but now of all times, he was. He spent the weekend out of town at a convention in a hotel, something he had never done before, so he thought it might be that. Having so much to do in such a short time left him exhausted but he had no energy to sit still or stay in one spot. It wasn’t like Keith to feel this way, and it might be partially Lance’s fault, not just the whole “attending an event for the first time” thing.

 

 

With all the energy he had, he decided to order a pizza for his dinner and scroll through YouTube recommendations to cure his weird, bored feeling. Watching videos and enjoying a pizza alone was what he loved doing, since he didn’t really do anything else besides work out when he was bored. He could literally spend hours doing this, but while he was eating his dinner, he kept seeing Lances videos show up in his recommended list. He tried very hard to not watch them, it made Keith think about his voice, his smile, his lips, his warmth. It made Keith feel sad, and for once in his life, lonely. He used to love the silence and solitude, but now it was deafening and painful. Did he actually miss Lance?


	11. Winning Bets: After Con

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the hell can I sum up what this chapter is in this summary? People win bets and a serious talk was finally done. Also its a little short than the other chapters, its been a rough couple of days.

All three of them showed up at their apartment and Lance groaned as Pidge began to demand him and Hunk to unpack and set aside their dirty laundry for the wash. As they all sat around the living room space, unzipping suitcases, and sifting through their luggage, Pidge decided to start up a conversation.

 

 

“So, how was your night, Lance? Do anything fun?” Pidge asked. Lance felt his face heat up.

 

 

“Pidge, you were there, remember? We played cards and had some drinks.” Lance responded, hoping they wouldn’t pry, but he knew them too well to actually believe that.

 

 

“I meant when we left your room, dickhead.” And Lance sighed, dropping whatever item of clothing was in his hands.

 

 

“I went to the bar, like I said I might do. Why are you being nosy?” Lance soon covered his face, rubbing the tension from it. “I’m sorry, Pidge. Its been a weird weekend.” Keith was probably rubbing off on him, he never snapped at them like this.

 

 

“I just wanted to know. I’m your friend, man, I want to make sure you’re happy.” Lance smiled at Pidge.

 

 

“Thanks. I just had a rough weekend, fun, but rough. My memory is all messed up and I’m confused. You and Hunk are my best friends, I should be more open about shit instead of keeping secrets.”

 

 

Pidge and Hunk looked towards one another before looking back at Lance. “Anything wrong? Wanna talk about stuff, buddy? We’re all ears. Its one of our house rules, remember? We’re always gonna listen and we’re here to help if we need to.” Hunk responded. It made Lance feel warmer, he was so grateful to have friends he could trust.

 

 

After they all separated their clothes, Lance noticed a pair of underwear in his suitcase. “Wait, whats that?” Pidge asked, pointing at the lone garment inside. Lance expressed confusion on his face.

 

 

“Thats not mine, what the hell?” Lance picked up the underwear and held it up to look at it throroughly. “Well, shit.”

 

Hunk chuckled. “Oooo, is that a souvenir? Care to share?” Pidge snorted.

 

 

“Don’t tease, Hunk. But seriously, I am so curious.” Lance sighed again, clutching it in his hands.

 

 

“It’s his.” Lance softly spoke, his chest tightening. It was the same pain he’d felt when his ex dumped him, but it felt different this time. He felt like he missed him. It was so strange, he’d gotten hookups underwear before and it didn’t feel like this.

 

 

“Is it that K guy you’ve been texting?” Pidge asked. Lance didn’t respond. All he could do was stare at it, clutching it tightly. Did he really miss Keith that much? “Wait, is K Keith?!” Pidge exclaimed.

 

 

“Come on, Pidge, this is not the time for that. He looks upset. Are you okay, Lance?” Hunk walked toward Lance, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Seriously, buddy, you look like you need to talk.”

 

 

Lance sat down on the couch, Hunk and Pidge joining him. He knew that he’d have to talk, keeping it all inside was never a good thing for him. So, he spent the next hour explaining everything that happened. From the drinking to the fans chasing him and even the photo that was taken of him at the bar.

 

 

Pidge pulled out their phone immediately. “Hold on, I gotta see this right now. Have you checked your phone at all, Lance?” He shook his head.

 

 

“I didn’t even think about it, why?” Pidge pulled up Twitter and started typing.

 

 

“You should probably go look.” Pidge responded.

 

 

Lance was always the private guy when it came to his relationships, and with what happened the night before, he couldn’t believe he forgot to check Twitter for the photo and rumors. Tweets flooded his notifications, messages were pouring in.

 

 

“I cannot believe this shit. What am I gonna do?” Lance whined. “I knew this would happen, I told him this would happen, this is so messed up.” Lance dropped his phone, pacing around the room and rustling his hair. “I can feel myself breaking out right now. This is horrible.”

 

 

Pidge continued to scroll through their phone. “Look at this, people are saying all kinds of things about Keith. Death threats and offensive comments, at least a few of these are nice.”

 

 

“This is exactly why I don’t share my relationships online. What the hell am I gonna do?” Lance sat down on the couch again, laying his face in his palms.

 

 

“Have you talked to Keith about this yet?” Lance just shook his head. Hunk wrapped his arms around Lance, comforting him.

 

 

“We’ll be here to help, man. You know that. Just tell us what we can do and we’ll do it. We have your back.”

 

 

Lance sighed, returning Hunks hug. “Thanks.”

 

 

 

 

Throughout the day, Pidge did the laundry and Hunk prepared dinner for them while Lance paced around his room, thinking about how he could resolve the situation. He was actually terrified to contact Keith, worried about how he’ll react to everything. God, he must have been freaking out as Lance sat on his bed. Dinner was ready before he knew it, joining the other two in the living room to catch up on their share of shows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the next week, Lance focused on work. Anyone online asking about Keith was immediately blocked thanks to Pidge and their knowledge at pretty much everything computer related. During one of their weekly meetings together, Pidge brought up a question.

 

 

“So, Lance, about that bet we made at Vidcon… When did you get Keith’s number?” Pidge looked up from their computer to make eye contact with Lance, a grin across their face. Lance avoided looking toward Pidge, eyes on his paper for ideas. It was a brainstorming meeting they all get together for, it helps them get ideas out on paper, and Lance grew to be more productive and professional as well as organized thanks to the idea of brainstorming sessions with Pidge and Hunk.

 

 

“Did I not say? I could have sworn I told you last week...” Lances voice echoed softly, almost nonexistent by the end of his sentence. Both Hunk and Pidge shook their heads.

 

 

“Funny thing is that was one of the things you didn’t tell us, unless you don’t want us to know who won the bet?” Hunks smile was one of those things Lance couldn’t be upset at, no wonder he couldn’t keep secrets for very long.

 

“Okay, okay. So, remember when I passed out in someone elses room?” Lance said, looking up at the ceiling.

 

 

“How could we forget? We were worried about you and we both fell asleep in your room waiting for you.”

 

 

Lance bit his lip, his cheeks changing to a pink shade. “It was actually the next morning, he gave me this little note.” Lance pulled something out of his wallet and set the paper on the table. Pidge chuckled at it, Hunk nudging them to stop.

 

 

“Wait, so our bet… who won?” Pidge questioned. Lance completely forgot, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand.

 

 

“Damn it, thats right! Who did?” Hunk stood silently, tapping his index finger on his lips in thought.

 

 

“Well, lets see. If I recall, it looks like you owe Pidge fifty bucks. And I guess Pidge owes me content for my channel.”

 

 

Lance placed his hands on the table. “Wait, you guys bet on me? I thought I was for sure gonna win!”

 

 

Pidge laughed. “Dude, you got his number before the con even started, I said I would owe you if you got it DURING.”

 

 

Hunk butted in. “And yes, we did but its for a good reason too! If I won the bet, Pidge has to make a dish by themselves for my channel, and if Pidge won, I’d have to play a horror game on Twitch, the most difficult mode, too.” Hunk sighed, relieved. “Thank god, I really didn’t plan on ruining my pants or crying from pure terror.”

 

 

Lance smiled, infatuated with the love from his friends, but the betrayal of their ideas. Sure, they’d bet on him to get Keiths number, but at least it was going to benefit him in some way, even if he did owe Pidge money. “Sounds like fun either way.”

 

 

 

 

 

With the brainstorming session over, and plenty of ideas being thrown around for one anothers content, they all ended the night with dinner and chatting about where to begin their work.

 

 

 

Days passed and Hunk had set up everything in their kitchen, camera set and rolling. While Pidge struggled with cooking, Lance sat nearby watching the chaos. He was going to hate cleaning up the mess they were making, but the positive was that he was enjoying the fiasco. It all started because he met Keith. Feeling guilty, he opened up his phone, looking at the messages he’d last sent to Keith during the convention. It felt like years had passed when it had only been a couple of weeks. Lance was sure he looked like a total ass for not talking to him, but he didn’t know what to do. Time had passed though, maybe texting him would be okay?

 

 

L: hey.

 

 

Pidge slipped on a napkin and spilled batter all over themselves as Lance set down his phone. Hunk and Lance quickly rushed over to help clean up and continue, leaving Lance to forget about the text he’d sent to Keith just moments ago.

 

 

That is until later that day when Hunk was editing and Pidge was streaming.

 

 

K: hey.

 


	12. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've been having writers block for days, so this took awhile even though it was short. Sorry about that, y'all. Enjoy it anyway.

It had been a week and a half since the convention, Keith had taken time to himself to get over the feelings he had in his heart from Lance. It was definitely hard for him, tears were shed, emo music from his teen years was blasted through his speakers, many nights in a row was spent in his tub with wine crying about how stupid he had been to let this cute guy into his life for just a moment only to be ignored and forgotten. Worried, Shiro invited him out for a run and a lunch afterwards after a no contact and no updates on social media.

 

 

“Look, all I’m saying is maybe it wasn’t meant to be, and thats okay.” Shiro whispered, patting Keith on the back while he wiped his face with his shirt sleeves.

 

 

“Thanks for being here, I’m glad I can trust you...” Keith said, calming his breathing. He’d been ugly crying for twenty minutes when Shiro arrived one day out of the blue. Keith hadn’t looked in a mirror in days, but at least he kept his apartment as clean as possible, minus the dirty laundry scattered across the apartment.

 

 

“Let’s just go out today, yeah? Just us bros. We’ll go for a run and have some lunch. No need to think about him anymore, right?” Shiro suggested. Keith nodded, sniffling and rubbing his face to scrub off the feeling of uncomfortable dryness from his cheeks and eyes.

 

 

“Okay, sounds great. I should probably work out anyway, I’ve been eating too much fast food these days.” Keith stood up, leaving Shiro in the living room. Arriving in the bathroom, he finally looked into the mirror.

 

 

His hair was outrageous. It needed a serious brushing after a couple days. His eyes were puffy and red, bags under his eyes from sleeping too much and not drinking enough water. Keith took his time washing his face before heading to his spare room for a work out outfit. Just a tank top and some exercise shorts was enough for him accompanied by some white socks. He still couldn’t find his lucky pair of underwear, though. He had to resort to claiming his blue and red striped underwear for luck instead, even though it didn’t help much. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he got dressed before meeting Shiro in the living room.

 

 

Shortly afterwards, they went on their run, well it was more of a jog. Keiths route was usually from his apartment to downtown, taking neighborhood roads to look at the families. Many of them were usually on the way to work, kids running around on their phones and dancing. During his run with Shiro, a young kid was playing with a basketball alone, reminding Keith of when he was younger. He remembered playing alone as a child, no other kids would play with him. Shiro started jogging beside him, nudging him.

 

Their run slowed to a paced jog, giving a moment for a conversation. “I remember those days.” Shiro said.

 

 

“I was always alone, no one liked me back then.” Keith responded.

 

 

“What about me?” Shiro teased, his voice giving off a whiny tone. Keith shoved Shiro softly.

 

 

“Besides you, idiot.” They chuckled, finishing their jog at the end of the neighborhood.

 

 

“Ready to grab some lunch?” Shiro asked, pointing to a local restaurant around the corner.

 

 

They sat at a table, ordered some water, and looked through the menu. Keith knew Shiro would find something healthy, but Keith was seriously hungry for something hardy. Most of the menu was greasy, only a simple burger stood out. He ordered it without thinking and sat quietly with his cup of water.

 

 

Shiro and Keith sat in silence for a moment before, Keith opened his mouth. “Hows Allura doing?” He was curious, it had been almost two weeks since the con and Shiro hadn’t talked about her the entire time they had been hanging out. Sure, he was hurting, and Keith didn’t want to admit it, but he needed to get his mind off of Lance for once.

 

 

“She’s fine. It didn’t go too well, if thats what you’re asking.”

 

“Meaning you didn’t ask her, slacker. Where’s your guts at bro?” Keith chuckled, taking a sip of his water.

 

 

“Keith, seriously. I got turned down. I’m not mad, hell I’m not even upset. I just didn’t expect it, but at least I got an answer. I’m not hurt by it.” Keith couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

 

 

“All those months talking nonstop about her and you’re suddenly fine?”

 

 

Shiro ruffled his hair, chuckling. “Look, feelings change. That happens. I guess I didn’t really like her that much, but she’s a great friend. And thats okay with me.” Keith looked away from his brother, sighing. He was right, though. Being friends would be okay if feelings changed, it was the same for him and Lance, too. Even if Lance didn’t want to be with him, he could still be friends with him, if he wanted.

 

 

Their lunch arrived and they both scarfed it down, leaving both of them full and tired from their run and meal. They both decided to take an Uber back to their apartments, hugging Shiro and thanking him for spending the day with him.

 

 

Entering his apartment felt surreal for once, empty and quiet. It didn’t feel deafening like it did when he returned from the convention. Slipping off his shoes at the door, Keith took a deep breath in and sighed. He needed validation, this time without any screwing around, no pun intended. He sat on his couch and pulled out his phone, staring at it and contemplated on contacting Lance first. He needed answers. He almost messaged Lance first when he realized that he needed to shower, badly. A reason to procrastinate was not what he needed, but he took the opportunity, needing to get out of his workout clothes.

 

 

After his shower, he checked his phone, seeing an unread message.

 

 

L: hey.

 

 

He hadn’t been in the shower for more than twenty minutes, but judging from the time, it probably spent about an hour under the hot water. It was now or never.

 

 

K: hey.

 

 

Setting his phone down he ran to this spare room to find clothes to wear, settling on another oversized hoodie and no pants. What can he say? It was comfortable and he didn’t plan to leave the apartment again for awhile.

 

 

 

 

 

L: so how are you?

 

 

Keith lounged on his couch, his couch blanket covering his legs to keep warm. He couldn’t be truthful, he couldn’t tell Lance how much he’d been crying and drinking wine in his tub to fill up the whole in his heart.

 

 

K: i’m fine. You?

 

 

Lie. His heart was pounding in his chest, feeling that fear that made his palms sweat.

 

 

L: i’m okay. So whats new?

 

 

Keith seemed confused. He was trying to hold a conversation like a normal person, but there was something going on in his head.

 

 

K: nothing really.

 

 

This conversation wasn’t going anywhere. He needed answers, but Lance wasn’t giving him anything to go off of. It was like Lance was completely avoiding the obvious. It made Keith feel frustrated and irritated. His anxiety built into anger, wanting to throw his phone across the room.

 

 

L: sorry about not texting you after con. A lot happened and I was afraid to talk to you.

 

 

Keith sighed. He was finally talking about it.

 

 

K: I don’t get you. i’m so confused.

 

 

L: what do you mean?

 

 

Keith groaned.

 

 

K: are you kidding me? You and I spent 2 nights together, we talked for hours, we slept together, and you didn’t even text me to see if I was ok??? you are so ridiculous

 

 

Maybe he shouldn’t have been rude, because the text that came straight afterwards was harsh.

 

 

L: well excuse me princess I couldn’t text you or call you because of all the drama online. I didn’t even know about it until the day after. I was trying to give you space, but you are acting like a dick right now.

 

 

K: I needed you to be there for me and you weren’t. I don’t even know what we are. Are we friends? Because friends don’t sleep with each other and then act like nothing even happened or check on them.

 

 

L: look idk what we are either but you have to give me time to think about this. I can’t believe you’re mad about this. I was trying to not hurt your feelings. Maybe I do like you more than a friend, but you aren’t making it easy for me. I don’t even know if I can be friends with you because of your attitude.

 

Keith felt his throat tighten. He didn’t want to cry, he’d shed enough tears because of Lance.

 

 

K: you’re such an asshole. You like me but you don’t even see if i’m ok? You are so fucking confusing! You keep pulling me in different directions and now idk what to think. If you don’t want to deal with this then just delete my number and leave me alone.

 

 

L: are you serious? I text you and you blow up in my face about it? I can’t believe you. Fuck you.

 

 

Keith threw his phone on the other side of the couch, tears falling again. He couldn’t believe he was crying about Lance again. He thought talking to him would be better but the conversation didn’t go well and all he wanted to do was delete his number and forget about him forever.

 

 

 

Days later, Shiro called him while Keith was sitting on his couch eating a package of cookies while watching some TV show.

 

 

“What’s up? You never call me.” Keith said, pausing the TV.

 

 

“Keith, listen, you should probably watch this video I’m sending you right now. I don’t know everything that happened, other than what you told me and the drama online, but call me when you watch it.”

 

 

“Uhh… no I’m not gonna watch this.” Keith pulled up the link on his laptop, the title of the video stating “the truth”.

 

 

“Keith, please watch it. I’ll buy you dinner.” It was tempting, and he really didn’t want to watch this. Hearing his voice again and seeing his face would put salt in the wound.

 

 

“Ugghhh… I hate you.”

 

 

“I love you too, bro. Call me later.” Shiro said before hanging up.

 

 

Keith sat on his couch, laptop on his lap, video paused. His stomach was doing backflips and his heart was beating so hard it made him breath heavily. Keith knew Lance didn’t do this, he kept his life private mostly, but this was never something he expected to see from Lance.

 

 

Pressing play, Keith felt his heart nearly stop.

 

 

“Keith, I’m sorry.”


	13. "the truth"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, chapters like this are rare for me, so you won't get a lot of time skips in future chapters, y'all. I couldn't fill the space at all no matter what I wrote. Please be kind. :)

After the texting fight he had with Keith, Lance was lost. Pidge and Hunk knew everything, after Lance didn’t get a response back from Keith. Even if he did get a response, Lance wouldn’t have known anyway. Lance threw a fit, irritated and smashing his phone afterwards. Pidge was surprised and Hunk was scared, getting ahold of Lance and holding him as he sobbed on his shoulder. Pidge picked up Lances broken phone and kept it on the coffee table in the living room until they went out to get a new one.

 

 

The next day, Pidge took Lance to pick up a new phone, unable to save messages but able to save his contacts and images (thanks to the cloud). Lance was not only angry at the situation and angry at Keith, but he was mostly angry at himself. He let himself get attached to someone at a con when he told himself he wouldn’t, and it ended with him breaking his phone along with his heart. Pidge and Hunk didn’t know how bad it was, since he reacted similarly when his ex broke up with him.

 

 

Until they both arrived back at their house, new phone in Lances hands and Pidge sitting next to him. Hunk was in the kitchen cleaning up the mess from cooking dinner, a dish towel in his hand.

 

 

“You want to what?” Pidge questioned. Hunk walked into the living room to see Lance sitting on the couch, while Pidge stood up from it.

 

 

“What’s going on?” Hunk asked.

 

 

Lance sighed. “I want to make an apology video.” He looked up at his best friends, his eyebrows drooping sadly.

 

 

Hunk dropped the dish towel in his hands. “Whoa, are you sure you wanna do that?” Lance nodded.

 

 

Pidge looked towards Hunk. “He can’t, this will destroy everything he has done for his channel and his image.”

 

 

“If thats what he wants to do, I think he should do it.”

 

 

Pidge huffed. “Don’t tell me you’re just gonna let him do this.” Hunk raised his arms up. Lance stood up, looking down at his feet.

 

“We aren’t his managers, we’re his friends. We need to support him.”

 

 

“Remember what happened last time he wanted to do that? With ‘you know who’?!” Pidge got louder, opting Lance to place his hand on Pidges shoulder. Pidge turned to Lance, his eyes looking up to his friend.

 

 

“Oh fuck, you’re serious.” Hunk said. “This is for real.”

 

 

Lance nodded.

 

 

“I guess you’re right, Hunk. But if he’s gonna do this, we gotta make sure he does it right.”

 

 

Lance smiled. “You’d do that for me?” He jokingly teased.

 

 

“You know Pidge and I care a lot about you, so of course we’ll make sure you don’t ramble.” Lance teared up a little.

 

 

“Thanks you two. Seriously.” Pidge and Hunk rallied around Lance and hugged him tightly. It was heart warming and soft, like a mothers hug.

 

 

“Okay, now go film that video and let us see it afterwards. We’re not gonna let you upload that video if its bad.” Pidge joked.

 

 

 

 

 

Lance set up his camera and tripod aiming at his bed, recording as he sat on the bed.

 

 

 

He hesitated at first, his mouth open and his breath quiet. His tears still streaming down his face, he grabbed a sweater nearby and wiped his face with it. He cleared his throat before speaking. He didn’t know what he was going to say, but usual apology videos were usually addressed to a community. This one was just for one person.

 

 

Finally, Lance said something. “Keith, I’m sorry.”

 

 

 

 

 

Some time later, Lance emerged from his room, eyes irritated from crying and throat sore from talking while he cried. Hunk looked up from the TV to see Lance and he smiled.

 

 

“Is it done?” Pidge asked in a sincere tone. Lance nodded.

 

 

“Yeah, I think I got it all out.” Lance stood by the hallway quietly, waiting for a response but nothing came. “Do you… want to watch it now?” He asked.

 

 

Hunk and Pidge said “yes” in unison.

 

 

 

 

Huddled around the laptop, they stared and listened intensely, Lance sitting across from both of them on the floor.

 

 

It was about a minute of crying and cleaning his face before Lance started talking. “Keith, I’m sorry.”

 

 

Lance cleared his throat again. “I never expected to get so infatuated. After my ex broke up with me months ago, I told myself I’d never get involved in a relationship and enjoy Vidcon by myself. But, fate had other plans that night before the con even started...” Lance smiled.

 

 

“Then I met you. I don’t remember a lot when I drink, but you were so gorgeous, I couldn’t forget that stupid mullet or that laugh. You were having so much fun with me, I assumed it was because it was a ridiculous situation.” Lance started crying again and wiping his face again.

 

 

“But the next morning, I woke up on your hotel room floor with no memory of how I got there. The note you left gave me good vibes though. It kept my spirits up all day, I hadn’t felt that good about meeting someone new in a long time. My friends even made a bet to see if I could get your number during the convention or after it. And during the day, people kept asking about what I was doing Thursday night. I had to shut people up with ‘I keep my love life a secret’.”

 

 

Lance stayed silent, trying to think about what to say next and how to word the next sentence.

 

 

“I am afraid. I am so scared to talk about my personal relationships in the public eye. They are terrifying and ruthless. They invade personal spaces like quiet walks to the store and even throw insults at others when their fave is taken. I just wanted to keep it all a secret so that didn’t happen. Since day one of knowing you, you make me forget about all that.”

 

 

Lance started crying, again. Wiped his tears from his cheeks, again. “That’s why I got so upset that Saturday night at the bar. If word got out, people would attack you and put literal death threats on you. I left the con before I even knew that happened. I don’t know if you left that day or stayed until Monday. And I’m so sorry I didn’t talk to you when it happened. Its been tearing me up inside knowing that you were facing it all on your own and that me not speaking to you was just making it worse. I should have been there for you and I wasn’t. I really, really like you. And it fucking hurts that I haven’t talked to you or apologized for not being particularly nice. I actually broke my phone and had to get a new one because I was so angry.”

 

 

Lance looked into the lens of the camera. “What I’m trying to say is...” Lance looked away and sniffled, rubbing his entire face and clearing his throat one last time.

 

 

“I am risking everything to tell the entire world that I fucking like you. No… I fucking love you and I would rather have you in my life than whatever reputation or image the fans see. Please talk to me so we can fix this. Together. Doesn’t matter if we’re friends after this or not. I just don’t want to lose you because I cared too much about the safety of my image. I guess...” Lance looked down at his hands.

 

 

“I just wanted to protect myself. And if I love someone, I shouldn’t think about myself.” Lance looked up and smiled. “I should be thinking about you, so I’ll be here… waiting.” Lance stood up and turned off the video.

 

 

 

Lance saw Pidge close the laptop, rubbing Hunks back. “Why are you crying?” Lance asked. “I should be crying.”

 

 

Hunk sniffled. “Its just… good. And I felt the love, man.” Lance chuckled.

 

 

“Come on, you big softie. Let me hug you.” Lance stood up and wrapped his arms around his large friend. “Does that mean it passes the Pidge and Hunk test?”

 

 

Pidge laughed a little. “With flying colors.”

 

 

 

 

Lance was offered by Pidge to edit the video, making sure it wasn’t trashy and there wasn’t any music in it. Lance knew that if he’d edited his own apology video it’d have that stupid sappy music in it. Hunk would be crying the whole time if he took up the task, seeing as he cried just watching the raw footage.

 

 

The video was uploaded the next day. Within the first ten minutes of the video being up, it was gaining traction fast. Overwhelming support and even apologies in the comments made Lance feel warm. But his phone was still quiet. Keith hadn’t seen it. He didn’t bother to send him the link, and he didn’t even look up Keiths Instagram or whatever else he had. Lance didn’t even think about looking for it. When he was with Keith, he just felt like he was falling in love with a random person, no personalities or social status or famous status, or whatever. It just felt like two people enjoying each others company, like average people. Lance felt normal for once in his life. His entire adult years, he’d been in the spotlight, but being with Keith made him forget about titles or status or being famous.

 

 

 

 

 

Hours later, he received a text.

 

 

K: I’m sorry too.

 

 

Lance smiled, tears streaming down his cheeks. Hunk was in the kitchen while Pidge was editing one of Lances videos when they heard his sniffling. Lance felt his heart was full. He felt his hard work and courage pay off and he couldn’t do anything but cry. His head started hurting from all the crying he’d done in the past couple of days, but he felt like he was going to cry like this one more time. Pidge looked up from the computer screen and walked over to Lance. He laid back against the couch, draping his arm over his face while Pidge took Lances phone from his hands. They really didn’t want Lance throwing his phone again after they had just got it replaced.

 

 

“Holy shit, it worked.” Pidge said, prompting Hunk to leave the kitchen and rush into the living room.

 

 

“Are you serious? Oh my god, Lance!” Hunk pulled Lance off the couch and hugged him so tightly, he could barely feel himself breathing.

 

 

“That was so hard...” Lance whispered, feeling his air supply shorten, but he didn’t care at that moment, he was just happy that his video reached him.

 

 

“I know and you did so well, good job buddy.” Hunk responded, pulling away from the hug. He wiped his friends tears from his face. “Now you can stop crying.”

 

 

Lance laughed. It felt like he hadn’t laughed in so long, it almost felt foreign to him.

 

 

 

Lance responded to Keith before he missed the opportunity.

 

L: can I call you?

 

 

K: yes

 

 

Lance immediately pressed the call button, pressing the phone to his ear and running to his room. Hunk returned to the kitchen while Pidge went back to editing on the computer.

 

 

Lance shut his bedroom door and sat on his bed, waiting for Keith to pick up.

 

 

“I can’t believe... you did that for me...” Lance heard sniffling on the other end. It sounded like Keith had been crying too.

 

 

“I didn’t know how else to make it up to you.” Lance replied, smiling. He missed Keiths voice so much it made his chest hurt.

 

 

“So…. Where do we go from here?” Keith sounded like he was calming down, if Lance was honest.

 

 

“Well, you can tell me what you do and where you’re from. I feel like I know nothing about you right now.” Lance laid on his back, sighing from relief.

 

 

 

Lance spent the next few weeks talking and listening to Keith. He found out that Keith lived in Oregon. He talked about the winters and the coffee shops and the casual runs he goes on in the fall. Lance learned Keith did Instagram modeling, and how many clothes he owned. Lance learned Shiro was his adopted brother too, which was surprising.

 

 

 

 

 

One morning, Lance woke and texted Keith. It may have been nearly ten in the morning, but he couldn’t just not text him first thing in the morning.

 

 

L: Good morning sunshine

 

 

K: good morning. i’ve been awake for a few hours lol

 

 

L: whoa lol why

 

 

K: I went on a run you nerd

 

 

L: ok look just because I like anime does not make me a nerd

 

 

Lance chuckled.

 

 

K: the fact that you watch anime makes you a nerd

 

 

L: oh shut up

 

 

K: make me ;)

 

 

Lance blushed. Keith was flirting with him now, through text. Maybe it was time for a casual discussion about what they were or if they were going to be anything besides friends. He’d already announced to the entire internet that he loved Keith.

 

 

L: only if you agree to a date with me ;P

 

 

K: its a deal ;P

 

 

Lance smiled so big he thought he would get engulfed in it. They both agreed to meet in the next couple of weeks and Lance was going to pay for a trip to visit. He didn’t care if he had to sell everything he had, he was going to see Keith again.

 

 

And it was going to happen around Halloween. Pidge and Hunk agreed to skip their yearly shenanigans on Halloween night, a tradition of making fun of old nineties movies with a fake moustache on the screen. They were happy to see Lance so full and alive, way better than how he was when he was with his ex-girlfriend. They couldn’t not let him go.

 

 

 

 

 

October rolled around and it was getting closer to his trip. Lance was told by Keith that he needed to bring a thick jacket and warm clothes. His body would not be prepared for the weather there, let alone the cold days when it’d be raining. Keith even told him that he’d picked out the perfect umbrella. Lance didn’t really believe him at first until the day came when he arrived at the airport in Oregon. It was a rainy day. And Keith was there, standing outside with two umbrellas. One red and one blue. Lance smiled, rushing with his suitcase to the sliding doors outside. Keith turned around to see Lance running towards him, smiling.


	14. I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's smut in this like halfway through so be prepared to read about dick again lol. This took me 2 days because I had to go to work. :,)

It was cold outside, the rain wasn’t letting up a lot, but at least the airport was still fully functional. Wrapped in a thick sweater he stood quietly with the umbrellas in his hands. Lance would be there any minute and it made his seriously empty stomach feel cramped and sick. The anxiety made him unable to eat breakfast that morning, that feel of nausea upsetting his stomach and keeping him from keeping food down.

 

 

The wait outside felt like an eternity, the text notifying Keith of Lances arrival. Keith kept turning around to see if Lance was there, and after a few turns, he finally faced the automatic double doors to see Lance rushing over to him, a smile on his face and a suitcase rolling across the tile floor. Keith dropped his umbrellas once Lance stepped outside, letting go of his suitcase and embracing him. It had been three months since him and Lance last hugged, even saw one another in person. The chilling air was no match of Lances intense body heat, the warmth of his hug enveloping him tightly.

 

 

“I missed you.” Lance whispered. Keith smiled and took in the scent of Lances cologne. He actually wore some for him, which was odd but it was better than whatever he would have smelled like after being cramped on a plane for a couple hours with a ton of people. His words made his heart skip a beat, only forcing him to hug Lance tighter.

 

 

Keith pulled away from Lance and smiled at him. “I missed you too.” Keith picked up the umbrellas and handed Lance the blue one. “Are you hungry?”

 

 

“Hell yes.”

 

 

 

 

Keith and Lance held hands as they walked to the Uber waiting for them, sitting together in the backseat. They drove to a small coffee shop down the road from his apartment, it was small but busy, many people rushing to get their coffee and head out the door. Some people sat together and talked loudly about their personal life, especially a couple giggling in the corner by the counter. It annoyed Keith a little, they were regulars that never shut up about their intimate lives so he heard it all the time.

 

 

Lance let go of Keiths hand and started to grab his wallet, prompting Keith to stop him. “No, I’m paying for this one.” Lance pulled away from his pocket and slipped his hands into his jacket pockets instead.

 

 

“Okay bossy pants.” Lance joked, chuckling. Keith nudged Lance with his shoulder before stepping up to the counter.

 

 

“Keith, its so nice to see you, what will it be? The usual?” The barista asked. Keith smiled, turning towards Lance.

 

 

“No, Coran, I’m gonna be ordering for two today.”

 

 

“Oh my, you have a friend! So glad to see you getting out more! My good man, what would you like?” Coran questioned, placing his hands on his hips. Keith loved Corans kind customer service, it made him feel better about being alone sometimes. It was good to see some positivity so pure in the world full of anxiety inducing situations and people.

 

 

“Just get me whatever you think I would like, Keith. I wanna try everything so I’m having a hard time choosing.” Lance whispered, leaving Keith with a blush across his cheeks.

 

 

“Okay, Coran. I’ll take my usual, but surprise us with his order. I trust you to give him something he’ll never forget.”

 

 

Keith paid for his and Lances order before Coran began preparing it, letting both of them sit down by the window, Keiths regular sitting spot. It was surreal, seeing Lance stare out the window across from the coffee table between them in a space he considered his own. He never shared this spot with anyone, not even Shiro. Even if he did, Shiro would never have anything from this coffee shop, it was always overloaded with calories that Shiro banned from his diet. Lance turned to look back at Keith.

 

 

“What are you staring at?” Lance asked, bringing Keith back from his inner thoughts.

 

 

“Nothing. Its just...” Keith looked down at his hands, which he noticed he’d been picking at from his nerves. “I can’t believe you’re actually here with me.”

 

 

Lance smiled, standing up to sit next to Keith. “Believe it.” Lance took Keiths hand, bringing it up to his lips and placing a kiss on his knuckles.

 

 

“You absolute nerd.” Keith said, blushing.

 

 

“So, you have watched Naruto.” Lance jabbed. “I thought anime was for nerds.” Keith shoved Lance with his kissed hand.

 

 

“Shut up, I was curious.” Lance chuckled at Keiths remark. His smile made his heart flutter, Keith could not understand how the mess that happened at Vidcon would result in this, whatever this was.

 

 

Their ordered completed, Coran brought it over, as he usually does for customers when its not busy. Lance got a nice hot cup of Corans special, hot cocoa with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. They were given a small plate with four different kinds of pastries, which had all fruit. Keith watched Lance chow down on one of them, a raspberry danish. Keith chuckled, seeing a little raspberry on the corner of Lances mouth.

 

 

Keith wiped it off with his finger and licked it off, making Lance blush. Keith didn’t intend it to be a flirtatious gesture, but Lance looked away to place the pastry down and kiss Keiths cheek. It was soft and romantic, nothing like the kisses they’d shared at Vidcon. It was sweet.

 

 

They finished their meal and drinks, cleaning up their mess and heading outside, umbrellas in hand, Lances suitcase in his free hand. “Where to now?” Lance asked. Keith didn’t plan anything besides the impromptu breakfast at the coffee shop.

 

 

“We could just go back to my apartment. I’m sure you don’t want to roll that suitcase around with us all day.” Keith suggested. Lance nodded.

 

 

 

 

Arriving at Keiths apartment, Lance placed his suitcase in the living room. Keith was glad he cleaned up furiously before he went to pick up Lance from the airport. His clothes were put in the washer, his dishes were cleaned and placed in the cupboards and drawers, and his bed was made. He was sure they’d be in his room during his week of visiting, so he wanted to make a good impression on Lance.

 

 

The first think Keith did was place his keys on the counter in the kitchen. He didn’t do anything else because Lance immediately wrapped his arms around Keith, nuzzling his face into Keiths neck. It made his skin tingle, the feeling of warmth around him again. They hadn’t spoken a single word since they walked into the door, because Lance decided to plant kisses across Keiths shoulder and neck. It made him gasp, it was unexpected but not unwanted, not at all.

 

 

Keith turned around, placing his arms around Lances shoulders, leaning towards him. They shared a soft kiss, eventually tangling tongues in one anothers mouths and heavily breathing occurred. Keith could feel his pants tighten, still full clothed, but unable to feel any relief from the heat coming from his body.

 

 

They both somehow ended up stripping off their jackets on the floor and retreating to Keiths bedroom. They frantically pulled off their clothes and laid in Keiths bed, Lance hovering over him. Keith was excited, his cock twitching and dripping already. It had been so long since he’d relieved himself, and here he was, a completely mess beneath Lances hands. He didn’t even prepare himself in advance, unable to decide if they were actually going to fuck or not once Lance walked in the door of his apartment. And yet, there they were, furiously smacking lips and creating friction between them.

 

 

Lance pulled away, asking, “where’s your lube at?” Keith sat up, reaching for the drawer by his bed and pulling out the tube of lubricant. Without even asking, Keith handed it over to Lance, smiling and biting his lip.

 

 

Lance lubed up his fingers and began to massage Keiths hole, earning gasps and moans from him. Keith remembered when Lance did this for him their first night together, and it was just as soft and intimate, if not more now than before. Fingers inserted and fully prepared, Lance removed his fingers and pulled out a condom from somewhere Keith didn’t know. Keith didn’t even think about it, so as his legs were spread, Lance slipped on the condom and inched his way into Keith.

 

 

It had been so long since Keith had played with himself or had anything inside him, so the noise that came out of his mouth was embarrassing.

 

 

“Gaahh…!” Keith covered his face, blushing hard breathing heavily. Lance chuckled, bending down to kiss Keith and remove his arms from his face.

 

 

Keith looked straight into Lances eyes and felt his heart stop in his chest. He saw Lances cheeks colored with a deep red and his eyes were dreamy, glossed over by the sheer love and intimacy.

 

 

Keith realized this would be the first time Lance would remember everything. Keith felt Lance fully inside of him now, tears streaming down his face and Lances lips on his.

 

 

Lance pulled away, and placed one of his hands on Keiths cheeks, wiping away the tears. “Are you okay?”

 

 

With a whisper, Keith smiled. “I’m just really happy.” With that answer, Lance began going back and forth in and out of Keith, earning gasps and soft moans. Lance placed kisses on Keiths neck, shoulders and chest, making Keith forget how to speak.

 

 

At some point, Lance was sitting up, Keith on top of him as he pounded into him almost animal-like. Lance started groaning and whispering, “Keith…”

 

 

Keith was in a trance, hearing Lance moan his name over and over sent waves of pleasure and sheer happiness through his body. He hadn’t realized how close he was to his climax until Lance laid Keith back down on his back and viciously pushed into and pulled out of Keith, growling.

 

 

Keiths moans turned to almost screams, Lances name echoing with Keiths in the bedroom. His arousal and heat from his lower abdomen was building too fast, so when Lance moaned, “I love you… Keith, I love you...” Keith felt his entire body spasm, choking on a moan that somehow got stuck in his throat as his cum splashed onto his stomach and chest. Lance finished shortly after, his pace growing slower until it stopped completely.

 

 

It took Keith a few minutes to catch his breath, unaware that Lance had pulled out, threw away the condom and laid next to him.

 

 

The last thing Keith remembered before falling asleep was Lance kissing him softly, wrapping his arms around him under the covers and saying, “I love you, too...”


	15. Vulnerable

He couldn’t believe he was laying in bed with what he could only call the love of his life at that moment. His bed, his scent, his warmth, everything about Keith made his heart sing. He had been sleeping for what seemed like a few minutes, but getting up to find his phone, they’d actually slept for probably a few hours. It was nearing dinner time and he wanted to do something special. Leaving Keith to snooze, Lance searched through Keiths kitchen to find he had pretty much nothing in his fridge or cupboards. It was like the guy didn’t even cook in his own apartment.

 

 

Searching through the restaurants nearby was easy, though. He had many places to choose from, but it was one thing that stood out to him the most that made his choice simple and yet difficult. Lance decided on a local diner that delivered pizza and he had to admit, pizza after sex was the best option. It wasn’t too messy, there was no need to use utensils, and you could eat it cold if you wanted.

 

 

Lance figured after ordering food, which would take about an hour, he’d call up his buddies back home to see how everything was. Just as he was about to call them, his phone rang. It was Hunk.

 

 

“Hey man, hows the weather up there?” Hunk joked. Lance chuckled, hearing Pidge giggle in the background.

 

 

“Hey guys. The weather is fine, pretty cloudy and rainy, but other than that its fine. Chilly, too.”

 

 

“You guys do the deed yet?” Pidge shouted. Hunk shushed them.

 

 

“Pidge for fucks sake.”

 

 

“Yeah, you should really be minding your business. My sex life is my business!” Lance teased.

 

 

“Anyway, did you guys eat yet?” Hunk asked.

 

 

“I knew you were gonna ask that. We had breakfast and then we got… busy so I just ordered some pizza.”

 

 

“Where’s Keith?” Pidge asked.

 

 

“He’s sleeping right now. Why do you ask?” Lance questioned.

 

 

“I wanna meet this guy, we pretty much know nothing about him.” Pidge replied.

 

 

Lance sighed. “If you wanna meet him so badly, why don’t we just make a plan for all of us to come up here one day. I’m sure Keith wouldn’t mind. I talk about you two all the time, so he MUST be itching to meet you guys.”

 

 

Lance heard footsteps and a groan. He turned to see Keith rub his eyes and yawn, stretching. He was wearing some oversized hoodie that covered his ass, his legs bare. Lance blushed. “Speak of the devil.”

 

 

“He’s awake? Lets talk to him!” Pidge had at somehow gotten closer to the phone, voice clearer than earlier.

 

 

Lance put the phone on speaker. “Okay, calm down.”

 

 

“Hi, Keith!” Hunk and Pidge spoke in unison.

 

 

“Is that your friends? Hello.” Keith said, groggy from his nap. Keith sat next to Lance on the couch, snuggling closely to absorb his warmth.

 

 

“We were just talking about them coming to visit next time we can get a chance.” Lance felt Keiths toes touch his bare legs and he screamed. “Your toes are cold, get them away!”

 

 

Keith laughed, “Nope. Not happening.”

 

 

“You two are adorable. Whens your food arriving, by the way?” Hunk asked.

 

 

“Oh crap, I almost forgot. Probably in like forty five or less?” Lance responded.

 

 

“Food? What did you order?” Keith questioned.

 

 

“Pizza. You have no food in your fridge so I had no choice. Plus pizza is good after-sex food.”

 

 

“You guys did do the deed!” Pidge yelled, their voice crackling from the volume.

 

 

“PIDGE FOR FUCKS SAKE.” Hunk shouted. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

 

 

Lance hung up the phone, placing it down on the coffee table in front of him. Keith laid his head against Lances shoulder, sighing.

 

 

“Your friends are interesting.” His voice was soft, grainy. It made Lance smile, his heart flutter in his ribcage.

 

 

“They’re great. I wouldn’t be anywhere without those two. Literally.” Keith chuckled.

 

 

“I know, I hate to admit it but I did watch one of your panels at Vidcon.” Lance felt a blush creep onto his face.

 

 

“When was this?” Lance asked, curious. Keith stayed quiet for a moment, making Lance sweat with anticipation.

 

 

“It was during the convention, Lance. I just said that.” Keith responded, chuckling. Lance smacked himself in the forehead.

 

 

“Wait,” Keith sat up to look at Lance. “Did you just think I meant panels from Vidcon and not actually at Vidcon?”

 

 

“Can you blame me? I just assumed because you were on this ‘I hate this guy’ streak during the whole convention.” Lance smiled, feeling Keiths hand hold his, which prompted him to look down at their hands.

 

 

“I can be stubborn. Thought you knew that.” Keith replied, laughing. “You’re fucking ridiculous. And stupid. And an idiot.”

 

 

Lance smiled wide, hearing Keith laugh was such a treat for him. It was rare to see him smile, but to hear his laugh is like seeing God. “But I’m your idiot.”

 

 

Keith stopped laughing to tackle Lance, forcing him to lay on the couch. “Shut up.” Keith then kissed Lance and he returned the kiss. Soft and intimate, but sweet and warm. Lance got comfortable, Keith laying across the couch on top of him that it made him doze off for a moment.

 

When he woke up, it was from the sound of the door being knocked on. “THE PIZZA!” Lance shouted, frightening Keith awake and sitting up quickly as Lance stood off the couch to answer the door.

 

 

Lance greeted the delivery guy and handed him a tip, thanking him for the food and shutting the door, pizza in hand. He placed it on the coffee table and opened it up, immediately inhaling the orgasmic scent and groaning.

 

 

Keith laughed. “You’re so fucking weird.” Lance smiled, pulling out a piece and handing it to Keith.

 

 

“Shut your mouth and eat it.” Lance prodded, grabbing himself a slice.

 

 

Lance sat on the floor as Keith sat on the couch, munching away on their dinner while they talked about random topics, like how Keith loved fashion and dressing up in feminine clothes sometimes and how many clothes Keith actually owned. After dinner, Lance was taken to Keiths spare bedroom to see the room filled with racks and racks of clothes, even the closet was full of drawers with miscellaneous underwear and socks.

 

 

“You have an addiction.” Lance stated. Keith chuckled, shaking his head.

 

 

“No, its actually part of my job.” Keith responded.

 

 

“I never actually asked about your work. What do you do exactly?” Lance asked. He couldn’t believe he didn’t ask before, seeing as how Keith literally watched everything Lance had ever made and watched his panels at Vidcon. He hadn’t even bothered to look up Keiths name or follow his social media.

 

 

“I’m an Instagram model. I get free clothes to promote, some people actually use codes I offer sometimes.” Lance nodded. Keith was so full of surprises.

 

 

 

 

 

Months ago…

 

 

The young blonde scrolled through Instagram on her phone, feeling the anger within her. Her ex was smiling in a recent selfie with the caption “life is better with friends” followed by a heart emoji. Her stomach churning, she searched on Twitter, finding images of her ex and some guy at Vidcon. She couldn’t believe her eyes, seeing him so happy without her. This was unacceptable for her. She had to do something about it. So, she decided to track him down, finding out that he was going to visit someone in Oregon. She couldn’t let this happen. So she devised a plan.

 

 

Gathering information on her ex and this guy he nearly kissed at the convention, she found images of them nearly kissing and holding hands. Her blood boiled just looking at him smiling without her. Then, her ex uploaded a video saying how he loved this guy he met at Vidcon. She felt like if he couldn’t be happy with her, she was going to ruin his life.

 

 

She eventually found out he was going to visit this guy he “loved” and decided to follow him in secret. She watched closely at the airport, purchasing a the same flight as him, getting on board, and slowly following behind him as he met with this guy he supposedly “fallen in love with”. Following her ex, she saw him sprint outside and quickly exited the building sneaking passed them and sitting alone, pretending to wait for a ride. She saw her ex hug this guy he came to meet, kissing and whispering words she couldn’t understand due to the rain. She was glad she brought an umbrella with her since they decided to walk and it was still rainy.

 

 

She followed her ex for a while until they entered a coffee shop. They ordered, sat down by the window and chatted. She decided to order something, sit at a table nearby but not to close to them, and pull out her phone.

 

 

She was going to take everything he had from him, all the happiness in his life was going to be ruined. Nyma may have dumped Lance, but she hated seeing him so happy without her and her feelings of anger and rage blinded her from the fact that she did the right thing breaking up with him. Nyma was not going to let him be happy. Over her dead body.


	16. Beautiful Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Halloween time! Trigger warning in the chapter notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Sexual assault and violence occur in this chapter. Be aware, this may trigger those with traumatic experiences.

Standing in his spare bedroom, surrounded by racks of clothes, Keith sighed. “I’m so glad you’re here. You know next to nothing about me and yet you chose to stick around.” Lance took ahold of Keiths hand, prompting him to look into his partners eyes. Thats right, they were together now right?

 

 

“I couldn’t avoid you even if you were about to kill me and cook me up in your kitchen.” Lance stated. Keith couldn’t help but laugh.

 

  
“Am I Hannibal in this scenario?” Keith questioned.

 

 

Lance let go of Keiths hand, pretending to flip imaginary hair by his shoulder. “Who else is gonna be Graham? I’m the most inclined with human emotion.” Keith raised one of his eyebrows.

 

  
“I feel like I should be offended, but I almost can’t be mad.” Lance smiled and gestured finger guns. “Almost.”

 

 

Lance lowered his hands, relaxing before pulling Keiths hand up to his face and planting a kiss on his knuckles. “At least you like me.” Keith would normally pull his hand away and sigh at Lances usual stupidity but Lance was after his own heart doing the littlest things like that. Before Keith would say anything, Lance opened his stupid mouth again.

 

 

“By the way, did you make any plans for tomorrow?” Lance asked.

 

 

“Whats tomorrow?” Keith responded. Lance gave Keith a surprised expression.

 

 

“Tomorrow is Halloween.” Keith facepalmed. “Don’t tell me you forgot that? Where are those beautiful brains at? Did they forget to come back home with you when you left Cali?” Keith snorted.

 

 

“You’re ridiculous. No. I mean-” Keith ruffled his hair. “I did forget. Didn’t plan on doing anything. Why?”

 

 

Lance gasped. “We’re going to buy costumes tomorrow. I don’t care what we do together, but theres gotta be like a costume party or something. Its not like we can go trick or treating like a couple of ten year olds.” Lance smirked.

 

 

“Lance, no. We aren’t going to get candy, for fucks sake. Last time I went trick or treating, I was being called a fairy.” Lance was about to open his mouth to say something, but Keith pointed a finger at him, expressing anger. “And not in the fluttery magic way, either.” Lance raised his hands up, closing his eyes and turning his head away.

 

 

“Okay, okay. How about we just find some random costumes tomorrow and look for a party or a bar thats doing some promotion for Halloween. Us adults have to enjoy the night, too.” Lance placed his hands on his hips and smiled at Keith. Keith sighed, crossing his arms around his chest.

 

 

“Fine.” Keith rolled his eyes.

 

 

 

 

The next day, Lance and Keith got up and had breakfast before heading out to find a costume store that was open around lunchtime. Most stores were closed in the morning, so they didn’t bother to leave the apartment until the afternoon. Keith couldn’t figure out what to wear, seeing as his favorite underwear was still missing. He had no choice but to pick out matching clothes that weren’t too bright. It was windy that day, so Keith had to find something warm to wear that wasn’t going to make his legs look like a couple of weenies in tubes. Tight pants was not going to work for him. Lance didn’t really care what he wore, seeing as he had on some jeans with a plain blue t-shirt and a large hoodie layered on top of it. A different shade of blue, but still decked out in the color.

 

 

Keith found a pair of black sweat pants, not too baggy but not too tight, and they were soft on the inside to provide the right amount of warmth when the wind blew too much. He wore a long sleeve black shirt with red trim along with a red hoodie with the words, “may the bridges I burn light the way” in bright red capital letters. He loved hoodies that had pouches, so he owned a variety of them with several different phrases.

 

 

Lance took Keiths hand and pulled him out of the room. “We gotta go.” Lance said, rushing to put his shoes on. Keith followed Lance after slipping his shoes on, locking his door behind him.

 

 

 

 

A short ride in an Uber later, Lance stepped out of the car in front of a Spirit Halloween store, Keith climbing out of the car and saying goodbye to the driver. Lance grabbed Keiths hand and smiled at him, returning a smile back to him as he followed Lance into the store.

 

 

It was packed with kids and their parents, grabbing any and every item off the shelves they could. Keith was a little uncomfortable being around this many children, remembering the many teens running around at Vidcon during the summer. Thankfully, Lance gripped at his hand, prompting Keith to relax and take a breath. It was fine, Lance was with him, he had to know what he was doing.

 

 

“So, what exactly are we gonna wear?” Keith asked, Lance pulling him to the back of the store. Lance let go and started browsing through the wigs, well, whatever wigs were left anyway. Keith watched Lance pull a long blonde wig from the shelve and place it onto his head. Keith rolled his eyes and snatched the wig from Lance, placing it on his own head.

 

 

Lance, for some reason, pulled Keith close and kissed his nose, making Keith chuckle and pull off the wig, placing it back into its package.

 

 

“We really shouldn’t do that, we could get in trouble.” Keith stated. He really wasn’t about to be kicked out of a Spirit Halloween on literal Halloween, especially since Lance was so keen on them coming there and buying costumes.

 

 

“Fine, I’ll just go over to the next aisle and pick out something for us.”

 

 

“Wait, I don’t get a say in what I wear? If I’m going out with you in a costume, I better like it.” Keith replied. “No way I’m wearing something shitty or embarrassing with you in public. What if someone sees us?” Keith sarcastically questioned. It was to poke fun at Lance, but the expression across his face changed the feel of the atmosphere.

 

 

“You’re right. Follow me, then.”

 

 

 

The next hour was spent searching through the adult size outfits, Lance being adamant on matching costumes for couples. Keith refused most of the costumes, Lance showing his dorky side. Superheroes were out of the question as well as any female costumes. Lance would probably love it too much, but he wasn’t about to be misgendered at a bar and beat repeatedly for dressing like a woman. Sexy costumes, though, we could do. His other work gave him the confidence to pull off sexy costumes, thankfully.

 

 

“Keith you need to pick something already. You’ve shot down every option I gave you.” Lance sighed, staring at the selection of adult size costumes. After searching through the costumes one more time, he finally chose vampire costumes, both surprisingly different from one another. He was amazed there were any left that were both different styles.

 

 

After picking out all the accessories for their costumes, they headed back to Keiths apartment to get ready. Keith stood in front of his full length mirror in his spare bedroom, tight pants that showed off his ass in the most perfect way, the shirt was kind of strange, the ruffles looking like it’d been hand sewn by a blind child, but with a few hours until most of the bars were to be full, the costume he was wearing would have to do. The final piece was a blood red coat that had silver buttons on the cuffs and down the middle. Walking out of the room, he stood in front of the bathroom doorway, Lance almost wearing tight pants, the same shitty collared shirt, but his coat was a deep navy blue with fake gold colored buttons. Lance was fixing his hair and checking his face before he was going to put on the fake blood and god damn it, Keith felt like he was falling in love again. He was swooning over how good Lance looked in the costume, even if it was a cheap halloween store costume. Lance turned and smiled. “What is it?”

 

 

“You look fucking gorgeous...” Keith whispered, causing Lance to blush and look away, a smile across his face. He didn’t even realize he said that out loud until Lance replied.

 

 

“You as well, Keith...” Keith blushed, clearing his throat.

 

 

“Do you need some help with your fangs and blood or do you have it covered?” Keith asked, stepping into the bathroom to apply his cosmetics. Lance huffed.

 

 

“No, I can do it by myself, I’m not a kid.” Keith just rolled his eyes, starting with the fangs before realizing that it’d be hard to eat with them in.

 

 

“Lets just do the makeup part. You might end up swallowing the fangs and choke on them.” Keith joked.

 

 

Lance was searching through his phone, showing Keith there was a bar nearby that was hosting a party. “Apparently, if you show up in costumes, you get free drinks until midnight. Pretty cool, huh?”

 

 

“Sure, lets get some food first though. If we don’t, we’re gonna get sick, big time.”

 

 

 

Lance and Keith stopped at a vendor outside the bar selling food for the drunk costumers, thankfully. They stood outside, chowing down on hot dogs fully equipped with their favorite condiments. Keith learned Lance really liked relish. Like uncomfortably liked them. He smothered his hot dog in the stuff until he couldn’t see the hot dog anymore, it looked more like relish in a bun. Keith was simple, only eating it with a small amount of ketchup.

 

 

“You’re so weird, can you even taste the ketchup on that thing?” Lance asked before taking a big bite of his relish dog.

 

 

“Look, just because I add the correct amount of condiments on my hot dog doesn’t mean I need to drown my food until I can’t taste it anymore. Can you even tell there’s a hot dog in yours?” Keith prodded. Some of the relish dripped out of Lances hot dog and onto the ground.

 

“For your information, relish is an acquired taste and if you don’t like it, then your palette is unrefined like mine.” Lance placed his free hand onto his chest, like he was some princely figure in a crowd of peasants. Keith could only roll his eyes and take a bite of his food.

 

 

They finished their food quickly before heading inside the bar. Lance was the first to reach the bar, ordering a bright blue cocktail. Keith couldn’t hear what the name of it was, but from Lances reaction when he received his glass his drank it quickly, belching loud enough that a couple next to them gave him an ugly stare before leaving the barstools they were sitting on. Keith ordered whatever special holiday mixed drink they were handing out that night, wanting something that wasn’t wine or beer.

 

 

A few drinks and shared kisses later, Lance was intoxicated to the point where he needed to pee, rushing to the restroom to relieve himself. Keith sat alone at the bar, listening to the spooky themed playlist blaring in the bar. Lance had taken longer in the restroom for Keiths comfort, so he left the bar to see what was taking him so long. He finally spotted Lance by the bathroom doors, but instead of him walking back into his direction, the womans lips were on Lances. It stung, seeing his boyfriend kissing someone that was not him. Just as he was about to shout out to Lance, Keith felt hands wrapping around him, a man whispering in his ear.

 

 

“You look even better in person.” The stranger said, slipping hands over Keiths chest and his ass. Instant fear washed over him and he tried to fight off the stranger, shoving the guys hands off of him and turning around to get a good look at him. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid, this man was a fan of his, and with the state of the stranger, he was very clearly drunk off his ass and he stunk so bad it would make a middle aged man vomit. The stranger didn’t accept Keiths rough gesture of “do not touch”, placing his hands back onto his ass once again. He wanted someone to help him, but everyone around him was either dancing or too drunk to notice the situation. He wished Lance was here to save him. Keith felt like such an idiot. There was no way Lance would have helped, judging by the fact that he was literally swapping spit with some random woman dressed in the same costume as him.

 

 

“Fucking let go, asshole.” Keith shouted, kneeing him in the crotch and running off to Lance. He was so unbelievably pissed, pulling the woman off of Lance and backhanding her across the cheek.

 

 

“Why the fuck are you kissing my boyfriend?” Keith yelled. People nearby weren’t talking anymore, the chatter in the background growing quieter.

 

 

“Excuse me, but last I checked, he was my man and I’m not about to give him away to some hussie who has perverted fans all over them in public.” Keith felt his chest hurt, his head began to pound as he formed a fist.

 

 

“Shut the fuck up, bitch.” Keith felt himself grinding his teeth together. His temper was short, but this was turning into rage at this point.

 

 

“Keith, whats she talking about?” Lance placed his hand on Keiths shoulder, prompting Keith to shake him off.

 

 

“Don’t listen to her, and according to him and the entire internet, we are a fucking couple so take your words and shove them up your thirsty ass. Don’t fucking tempt me, I will hit you.”

 

 

“Nyma, fuck off. I don’t know how you found me but you need to leave right now. And Keith, fucking stop it. You can’t hit a woman.”

 

  
“Fucking watch me.”

 

 

“Lance, this little slut has been making porn online and you didn’t even know? Wow, how long were you gonna keep that a secret?” Keith couldn’t hold back anymore, taking his fist and punching the blonde square in the jaw.

 

 

“I’m gonna fucking come after you for this, I’ll charge you for assault, you whore!” The blonde, known as Nyma according to Lance, ran out of the bar crying. Keith didn’t even get a moment to breath when Lance shoved him against the wall.

 

 

“What the fuck did I tell you? Do you know how to do anything?” Lance shouted. Keith felt pain in his hand and back, the lump in his throat refusing to go down. He was going to cry in front of Lance and he couldn’t stop it once it started.

 

 

“I want to go home. Now. Don’t think you’re off the hook either. We’re going to talk about this when we get back.” Keith pushed Lance out of the way and headed towards the door, walking towards the direction of his apartment, Lance following behind him. Neither of them talked, and once they entered the apartment, Keith headed straight to the spare bedroom to change, call Shiro and head to his room.

 

 

“Can you come over right now, please?” Keith felt the tears now, trying to hold them back but they weren’t slowing down or stopping at that point.

 

 

“I’ll be there asap.” Shiro responded, hanging up the call.

 

 

 

Minutes later, Shiro entered Keiths bedroom and shut it quickly, grabbing ahold of his brother and holding him tightly. The comfort of Shiros hug was enough for Keith to let go and sob into his shoulder as Shiro held him and rubbed his back. “Let it all out and then you can tell me what happened.”


	17. In Need Of Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I literally wrote this at work because life is a mess and I have no self control.

What he thought was a quick trip to the bathroom ended him in a sticky situation. Exiting the bathroom, he was faced with someone he didn’t think he’d see ever again, let alone there in Oregon.

 

 

“Hello, lover boy.”   
  


 

“Nyma? What the hell are you doing here?” Lance questioned. He felt his body break in a cold sweat, the anxiety making his stomach churn. He didn’t want to see her, let alone on a night he was spending with his boyfriend.

 

 

“To win you back. I know I was such a raging bitch, but I can’t let anyone have you, not even that little fucker you’re dating.” Nyma pressed herself against Lance, pushing him into the wall. Before he could push her off in protest or even say anything in return, Nyma kissed him, forcing her tongue in his mouth. She had tainted her sour tongue in a sweet syrup. She really knew how to make his knees buckle, but that wouldn’t work this time. He’d spent too much time thinking about what he’d done to warrant her to break his heart all those months ago, too many tears shed, too many bottles he emptied into his gut because of her. He was finally happy and there she was, sabotaging it.

 

 

Then, Lance felt Nyma get pushed away, looking towards the direction of the force was Keith. “Why the fuck are you kissing my boyfriend?” Lance felt his breath get heavier, like the oxygen in the air couldn’t go into his lungs fast enough.

 

 

“Excuse me, but last I checked, he was my man and I’m not about to give him away to some hussie who has perverted fans all over them in public.” He had to do something before this argument resulted in a fight, seeing Keiths hand form into a fist was a warning sign. Wait, did she just say perverted fans? From what Keith told him before, his fans weren’t crazy, this was bad and he had a very bad feeling about what was about to go down.

 

 

“Shut the fuck up, bitch.”

 

 

“Keith, whats she talking about?” Lance tried to stop Keith by holding his hand on his shoulder, but he got brushed off.

 

 

“Don’t listen to her, and according to him and the entire internet, we are a fucking couple so take your words and shove them up your thirsty ass. Don’t fucking tempt me, I will hit you.”

 

If he couldn’t get Keith to stop physically, he hoped words would help, but they were both drunk and Lance would have no chance even if there was a fight. “Nyma, fuck off. I don’t know how you found me but you need to leave right now. And Keith, fucking stop it. You can’t hit a woman.”

 

  
“Fucking watch me.” He felt the anxiety churning his stomach even more now, but it wasn’t the kind to make him puke, it was the kind that made his breath quicken, which was getting worse.

 

 

“Lance, this little slut has been making porn online and you didn’t even know? Wow, how long were you gonna keep that a secret?” Before he had a chance to respond, Keith punched Nyma in the jaw.

 

 

Then, she started crying. “I’m gonna fucking come after you for this, I’ll charge you for assault, you whore!” She ran off before Lance would say anything more to her, so he turned to Keith and pushed him against the wall in-between the restrooms.

 

 

“What the fuck did I tell you? Do you know how to do anything?” Lance knew he was being cruel, but his emotions were all over the place and all he could do was scream at Keith.

 

 

“I want to go home. Now. Don’t think you’re off the hook either. We’re going to talk about this when we get back.” Keith shoved him out of the way, heading out the door. All Lance could do was follow in silence.

 

 

 

Once inside Keiths apartment, they kicked off their shoes. Lance watched Keith head to the spare bedroom and shut the door. He was so stupid. He should have been more careful. He shouldn’t have left Keith alone. Grabbing a change of clothes, he headed into the bathroom to change and go for a walk. He couldn’t be in the apartment with Keith acting the way he was. The words “perverted fans” stuck in his mind, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Keith was keeping secrets. If he was doing porn, he wished Keith had trusted him enough to tell him that information.

 

 

 

 

The air was cold. He sat down outside the apartment building on a bench, head slumped. He felt himself wanting to cry, the alcohol in his system keeping him from tearing up. Seeing feet in his vision he looked up. It was Takashi Shirogane. He didn’t say anything, but judging from the look on his face, he could tell he was there to comfort Keith. No time to talk, he hurried inside. Lance sighed.

 

 

Shiro was going to know what happened. He didn’t know Shiro well enough, but he hoped that he would not chew his ass out after talking with Keith about the events from the night. Standing up, he walked for what felt like an hour until he reached a twenty four hour convenience store. He needed to sober up, and quick. Buying a bottle of water, he headed back towards the apartment, taking big gulps of it. He felt like he wasn’t himself. The way he handled the situation felt… wrong.

 

 

 

Lance found himself sitting on the bench at the apartment building again. Sitting alone with his bottle of water gave him time to think about what he could do to fix the situation and make sure Keith was okay. He didn’t want to go back to the apartment if Keith and Shiro were talking. So he just sat there. Alone on that bench. It felt like hours.

 

 

 

Some time passed and Lance was feeling sleepy. He decided to give up and go back up to the apartment. He’d have to face that he was sleeping on the couch, but also he knew that if he fell asleep on that bench, someone would probably screw him over and call the cops on him to go away. And it was freezing outside, he would end up with a cold if he fell asleep in that temperature.

 

 

 

Back in the apartment, he saw Shiro sitting on the couch. He patted the spot next to him.

 

 

“Bad time to introduce myself and officially meet you as my brothers boyfriend but hello and please tell me your side of the story.”

 

 

“You’re not gonna just take Keiths word for it?” Lance complied and sat next to Shiro.

 

 

“I need to know all the details before I judge you guys or give any kind of advice. I’m good like that, according to Keith. Now tell me what happened tonight.” Lance sighed before explaining everything.

 

 

 

“Alright, so from the accounts that happened, you didn’t see what happened to Keith before he came over to break off whatever was going on between you and your ex-girlfriend.” Shiro crossed his arms and sighed.

 

 

“Wait, what happened? I didn’t even know anything was happening. I just needed to pee and then… that happened.” Lance fidgeted with his fingers. He subconsciously started picking at his skin around his fingernails and didn’t even notice.

 

 

“Look, its best if Keith tells you himself. He has this thing about his pride and its been damaged after what your ex said tonight. For now, you need to leave him be and let him sleep. I’ll even stay here for the night to make sure you two don’t start fighting again.”

 

 

“Keith is right.” Lance felt his eyes water now, feeling that wave of anxiety wash away when he felt Shiros hand on his shoulder.

 

 

“About what?”

 

 

Lance looked up at Shiro. “You are such a good person. You don’t even know me that well and yet you’re comforting me.”

 

 

Shiro just smiled at Lance, gesturing for a hug. “Come here.” Lance fully embraced Shiro and sobbed. “God, you two are such babies. Its like I’m a dad and y’all are my kids.”

 

 

After a few minutes, Lance felt himself calm down completely. “Thank you. Seriously.” Lance pulled away from the hug. “Can I ask you a question though?”

 

 

Shiro smiled. “Sure.”

 

 

Lance took a deep breath. “My ex said something about perverted fans touching him in public. What did she mean by that?”

 

 

Shiro ruffled his hair. “Well, see… Keith doesn’t just do modeling. He hasn’t shared with me all the details, but from what I know, he does some adult content online for fun. I guess a fan of his saw him at the bar and started inappropriately touching him without his consent.”

 

 

Lance couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Someone was assaulting him and he was dealing with this bullshit with his ex. Of course Keith was going to be upset. Of course Keith was angry. He regretted that he didn’t take Keith with him to the restroom. He regretted leaving him alone. And now here he was, crying again while Keith was alone in his bedroom probably crying or at least trying to stop so he could sleep.

 

 

“Is he okay?” Lance asked softly, wiping the small tears from his eyes.

 

 

“He’s fine for now. I gave him some water and tucked him into bed. I’ll be back in there to lay down with him in case he wakes up for any reason.”

 

 

Lance took a deep breath and took off the jacket he had on. “Alright. Thanks, Takashi. I should probably sleep, too. We both need time to rest before we talk about this.”

 

 

“Sure thing.” Shiro stood up and pulled a blanket that was laying on the floor, handing it to Lance. “Oh, and Lance?”

 

 

“Yeah?”

 

 

“Call me Shiro.” Lance took ahold of the blanket and smiled.

 

 

“Thanks, Shiro.”

 

 

Shiro left the living room down the hall. Lance heard the door close softly and laid down, laying the blanket on top of him. He just needed to sleep and things would be better in the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

Lance tossed and turned, rolling onto a hard surface. Opening his eyes, he saw hands on the side of what looks like a cliff. The hands were wearing gloves. His running felt slow, trying to reach for these familiar hands grabbing for life. Reaching for the hands, one slipped. He looked over the cliff to see Keith crying, no voice coming out of his mouth. It was like a force was pulling down, seeing a version of himself clinging to Keiths legs with a sinister smirk across his face. Lance grasped onto Keiths hand, trying to pull him up and the sweat on his hands made it harder to pull him up. The air was thick, so his breathing was difficult. It smelled of alcohol, too. The water below wasn’t water, it was dark, bubblier than water. He didn’t want to see Keith fall, and the harsh scent in his nose was making it even harder to breath, so when he tried pulling Keith up, his hands slipped more, watching Keith fall into the body of liquid below.

 

 

Lance rose up from the couch, breathing hard. He pulled off the blanket, feeling his sweat stick his hair to his forehead and his clothes stick to his body. It was just a nightmare, but his stomach churning again forced him to believe it wasn’t. It was a sign. Lance rushed to the bathroom, flipping on the light and hover over the toilet, expelling whatever was in his stomach. The burn in his throat made him tear up. This was awful, the feeling of a hangover being worse than usual. He’d never thrown up after a night of drinking. He couldn’t remember what happened the night before, but he was sure it was a rough one. Waking up alone on the couch made him think. He must have done something to warrant his slumber in the living room and not in Keiths bed. Images of his ex appeared in his mind and he realized that was a problem. He hadn’t that much to drink, but according to the emptiness in his stomach and the awful taste in his mouth, it was more than his body could handle. His head was pounding and his tongue was coated in his stomach acid. It was time to quit, he figured.

 

 

Lance cleaned up his mouth and face, flushing the toilet and washing his hands before heading to the kitchen. He didn’t know why he continued to look through Keiths kitchen. There wasn’t anything to make in there, let alone drink, unless he wanted tap water. He’d have to go out and buy food. Something, anything to apologize with. He knew that a meal for Keith wouldn’t make up for the yelling and ignoring he did the night before, but he was sure that this would count for something.

 

 

 

A trip to the grocery store in a town he didn’t know that well was odd for him. He’d always have someone with him when he would go out in a city he’d never explored before. The grocery store was small, friendly faces smiled at him and kind customers moved out of the way in aisles. Even older folks were kind to him, reaching down or up for something prompted Lances kindness and upbringing to help out whomever it was in need of assistance and instead of rude remarks, he got thank yous and smiles back. It made him feel good, safe, happy. It made him miss his mother. He hadn’t been this far away in awhile and he hadn’t called her either. Of course, she knew everything that was going on with him before he left to Oregon to visit Keith, but she didn’t know anything about the situation from last night. Even he didn’t remember what happened the night before.

 

 

After purchasing some coffee items, breakfast food, and microwave dinners, he headed to the apartment in an Uber.

 

 

 

Arriving back, he saw Shiro pull on his coat. “Wait, where are you going?” Lance asked, grabbing ahold of his arm.

 

 

“Just to get some coffee. Whats all that?” Shiro questioned, Lance still holding groceries in his hand and some on the floor.

 

 

“There’s no food in this place, figured I’d go and get something to make for him. To apologize for last night.” Shiro smiled at Lances gesture.

 

 

“I think thats better than what I was gonna do. What have you got planned?”

 

 

Lance pulled several foods from the sacks, various berries and waffles, eggs and sausages, even bacon and bread. He also grabbed some coffee items since Keith had a coffee pot but no coffee to make. He brewed a pot of coffee, setting each item on the counter to inspect which would be best for an apology breakfast. Lance never had to do this before, apologize with food, but he figured anything to cure a hangover was good enough. Shiro had taken off his jacket at some point and was cooking eggs already. Turned out the smell of it made Lances stomach growl, so Shiro cooked up the eggs and bacon to go with their coffee.

 

 

Lance remembered Keith enjoyed the sweeter things in life, remembering the cafe they went to when he first arrived in Oregon. Making the waffles with the berries was his best option. Sipping his coffee, he felt warmth in his chest again. It had been a long night of dramatics and all he could do now was smile about the fact that Keith was going to love his breakfast.

 

 

After he set up the breakfast plate, waffles with various berries on top and syrup, a mug of hot coffee with cream and sugar added, he was about to pick it up when Shiro stopped him.

 

 

“I’d better go and give this to him, that way he doesn’t lash out at you.” Lance nodded, realizing that he would probably throw the hot coffee at him. Shiro left with the plate into the hallway. It was still strange, seeing the Takashi Shirogane being delicate. On his youtube channel, he would aggressively train others in the art of “working out” and “eating right”. Of course, Lance never followed those guides, it wasn’t his style. Eating his eggs and bacon, he saw Shiro emerge from the hallway.

 

 

“What happened?” Lance asked before sipping his hot coffee.

 

 

“Well, I nudged him and he nearly hit me. But I gave him the coffee first and he sipped it, then he asked if I made the food because he, and I quote, “wasn’t going to eat that hot garbage” but I told him that you made it. So, now he’s eating. I guess feel free to go in there, but I’ll be in the kitchen if you two need anything.” Lance hugged Shiro, like really hugged him, the kind of hugs that Hunk would give.

 

 

Lance approached Keiths bedroom door calmly, knocking softly. He heard a muffled voice that sounded like “come in”, so once he opened the door, he saw Keith shove a piece of waffle into his mouth like he hadn’t eaten in days.

 

 

“Can we talk?” Lance asked, staying away from Keith as far as possible as he shut the bedroom door. He earned a glare from Keith, followed by a nod.

 

 

Lance sat down on the bed, turning to face Keith as he swallowed the food in his mouth. “I’m sorry about last night. I don’t know everything I did or didn’t do, but Shiro was kind enough to tell me some things. I didn’t know Nyma was gonna show up and I should have taken you with me instead of letting you sit alone at the bar.”

 

 

Keith sat there sipping his coffee in silence for a moment. It was the longest silence he’d ever had to be a part of. The longer the silence drew out, the more anxious Lance felt.

 

 

“I know its not your fault. Its just...” Keith stopped talking again, setting his mug on the bedside table. “Something happened to me and I was so scared.”

 

 

“You don’t have to tell me right now, or at all if you don’t want to. But know this,” Lance placed his hand on Keiths stretched out leg, “I will always be here for you. Doesn’t even matter what happened to you or that you do porn. I’m still gonna be around. I love you, and there’s nothing I want more than to be by your side and love you as your boyfriend.” Lance looked up to see Keith tear up and smile at him.

 

 

Suddenly, Keith sat up and hugged Lance. It was the first time they fought in person as a couple, the first fight they had that didn’t end up with kissing in an elevator or having sex in a hotel room. “I should have told you from the start about it. I guess I was just afraid that you wouldn’t wanna be involved with me if I told you. Your image was everything to you, and spending time with you made me forget I’d ever done those things.”

 

 

Lance, arms wrapped around Keith, chuckled. “That wouldn’t make me go away. I know plenty of people who did porn and they are great people.” He pulled away from the hug to look into Keiths eyes. “If it makes you happy, I’ll stand by you no matter what choices you make. What you do with your body is your business. And I will always support you.” Lance smiled after he finished talking, seeing how Keith would react.

 

 

Keith cried, thats what happened. They weren’t sad tears, though. He was smiling and saying, “I love you” so much, even a mother would get sick of it.

 

 

“I love you too. Now finish eating. Its gonna be a day of recovery for us while we get through our hangovers. I’m gonna go out in a bit to buy some of the on sale candy so we can binge eat it and watch whatever show you wanna watch.”

 

 

 

 

 

Without knowing, Shiro slipped out of the apartment after he ate, feeling accomplished and happy that they resolved things on their own. He felt proud of how mature Keith became, and how important this lesson was to Lance. It was time for him to leave, especially since he had a video that was on a tight deadline.


	18. Aologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama. Lots of drama. Sorry this was a little short. Like I said before, its not over yet. (The story isn't even half over yet either.)

Ever since he lost his parents, Shiro had been there. When he first liked a boy, Shiro had been there. When the neighborhood kids bullied him, Shiro had been there. Every birthday since he was adopted, Shiro celebrated with him. Keith had seen Shiro as his real brother, someone he looked up to and respected. So, when Keith and Lance returned to the apartment, the first person he needed to talk to the most was Shiro.

 

 

Shiro held Keith until his sobbing slowed to normal breathing. Pulling away, Shiro grabbed a glass of water he’d gotten from the kitchen before entering the bedroom and handed it to Keith.

 

 

 

“Now, tell me what happened tonight. I’m all ears.” Keith took a deep breath before explaining it all.

 

 

 

“Keith, I’m sorry that happened to you. I didn’t think that a fan of yours would find you at the bar and assault you. Do you need anything?” Shiro asked, leaving Keith to think about what to do next.

 

 

“Stay the night. I don’t want to be alone and I’m still upset with Lance. I think we need to sober up before we can talk about this.” Keith pulled the covers over him, taking another sip of his water.

 

 

“Alright, I’ll come lay down in a bit.” Shiro patted Keiths leg and left the room, closing it behind him.

 

 

Keith laid down, trying to get comfortable in his bed. The last time he laid in this bed he was with Lance and they cuddled, talking about random things that he couldn’t remember. It was an awful way to end Halloween, knowing he shouldn’t have gone out. He’d have to figure out how to fix this mess. It wasn’t his fault, but it also wasn’t Lances fault. There was no way of knowing that a fan of his and Lances ex would show up and keep them away from one another. Closing his eyes and feeling exhausted, he fell asleep.

 

 

 

 

The next morning, he opened his eyes to Shiro nudging him. “What the hell is that?” Keith asked, realizing that it was morning and his head was pounding.

 

 

“Its coffee and food. Come on, wake up.” Keith rubbed his eyes and looked at the plate thoroughly. It was a place of waffles with a cup of hot coffee.

 

 

“If you made that, I’m not eating it. I don’t need hot garbage to help me throw up.” Keith responded, pulling the covers over his head. Hearing Shiro laugh, Keith pulled the covers off of his face.

 

 

“What?”

 

 

“I didn’t make it. Lance did.”

 

 

“Lance made this for me?” Keith slowly took the coffee and sipped it, feeling the warmth envelope him from the frigid air in his apartment. He really should have the air turned down during the night. It made it harder to fall asleep when he was alone.

 

 

“Its an apology breakfast, apparently. Just take it. Maybe you’ll be less of a grump for him to come in and talk to you?” Shiro stared at Keith, waiting for a response. Keith sighed, nodding.

 

 

Shiro walked out of the room, closing the door. Keith eyed the fruit and waffles before taking it into his hands and devouring it. A moment later, Lance knocked.

 

 

Muffled, Keith answered. “Come in.”

 

 

“Can we talk?” Lance asked, slowly approaching the bed, but not sitting just yet, like he was waiting for permission. Nodding, Lance sat softly on the bed.

 

 

“I’m sorry about last night. I don’t know everything I did or didn’t do, but Shiro was kind enough to tell me some things. I didn’t know Nyma was gonna show up and I should have taken you with me instead of letting you sit alone at the bar.”

 

 

Keith swallowed his food, taking another sip of his coffee. His head was still in pain, but having Lance there nearby apologizing about last night felt good. He’d thought about what to do about the situation the night before, but due to him dozing off, he didn’t quite know how to fix anything. Lance thought it was his fault, even though Keith knew that it wasn’t.

 

 

“I know its not your fault. Its just...” Keith felt his chest tighten, remembering what happened the night before with his fan. “Something happened to me and I was so scared.” Keith craddled the coffee mug in his hands, looking down at the light brown liquid.

 

 

“You don’t have to tell me right now, or at all if you don’t want to. But know this,” Keith watched Lance place his hand on his leg, and he felt his eyes tear up. Don’t cry now, you idiot. “I will always be here for you. Doesn’t even matter what happened to you or that you do porn. I’m still gonna be around. I love you, and there’s nothing I want more than to be by your side and love you as your boyfriend.” Keith smiled, tears blurring his vision. This was so important to remember. Shiro had made the right decision, coming over and helping him through this mess. Shiro had helped him understand that if Lance really cared about him, he’d tell him. And here he was, telling him. Sure, it took a stupid video, a trip to visit him, and a traumatic night for him to see it, but it was true. The only thing Keith could do was set down his coffee mug, embrace Lance and say he loved him, many times.

 

 

“I love you too.” Lance patted Keith on the shoulder. “Now, finish eating. Its gonna be a day of recovery for us while we get through our hangovers. I’m gonna go out in a bit to buy some of the on sale candy so we can binge eat it and watch whatever show you wanna watch.”

 

 

 

When Lance and Keith left the bedroom, Shiro had already left, without cleaning the kitchen. Keith sighed. “God, he’s useless in the kitchen.” Lance laughed and pointed at the couch.

 

 

“Sit down, I’m gonna clean it up for you. Find something for us to watch. Remember. Recovery day for us.” Keith smiled and rolled his eyes.

 

 

“Okay, fine.” Settling himself on the couch, he pulled up Netflix, finding something he’d been meaning to watch for some time. Sure, it was nerdy, but he actually enjoyed it.

 

 

 

Lance finished cleaning the kitchen and saw that Keith had picked something and had it paused on the TV. “Whats this?” He asked. Keith smiled again.

 

 

“Its a show called The Dragon Prince. Its like medieval with dragons and elves and magic.”

 

 

“So, basically nerd stuff. Got it.” Lance sat next to Keith, in his range to be slapped on the arm.

 

 

“Hey, you said anything I wanted, remember?” Keith smirked, seeing Lance smile and chuckle.

 

 

“I know, I know.”

 

 

 

 

After a full day of binging the series, ordering food, and eating lunch, Lance stretched, causing Keith to react with a yawn and stretch.

 

 

“That was really good. Who knew they’d have a badass character with a disability?” Lance said.

 

 

“I think its great, there has to be more representation in this world for those who don’t have a lot. Maybe the young kids with disabilities of their own will feel good about themselves, despite what they can and can’t do that an able-bodied person can do.” Keith responded, stretching out his legs and arms. He’d been sitting in one spot for so long, it was like his legs were made of stone and he’d just woken up for a thousand year slumber.

 

 

 

Keith hadn’t felt this comfortable since Lance first showed up to visit him. It felt like he had been there for a long time, but then Lance walked into the kitchen to clean up their lunch mess and took a look at the time. It was getting late and they needed to eat dinner and sleep. Lance was going back to California tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

The next morning, Lance took a shower and packed his suitcase. Keith woke up shortly after that, realizing the time. “Oh shit, I forgot to set an alarm.” Keith walked out of his room and rummaged through clothes in his spare bedroom. As he was searching through his underwear, Lance crept up behind him and hugged him.

 

 

“What do you keep looking for every time you’re in here?” Keith sighed, turning around to kiss Lance.

 

 

“My favorite pair of underwear.”

 

 

“Where did you see them last?” Lance asked.

 

 

Keith ruffled his hair in frustration. “When I was in Cali. I thought I put them in my suitcase but when I unpacked after the convention, they weren’t in there. I thought I put them in the laundry but there hasn’t been a single place they could be.”

 

 

“Well, what color were they?”

 

 

“Bright red with blue trim. Why?” Keith looked over to see Lance facepalm himself.

 

 

“Oh…. Well I know where they are.”

 

 

“Where?”

 

 

Lance chuckled. “You left them in my hotel room and I didn’t even think about it until we came home from the convention. I’ve had them with me this whole time and forgot I was gonna give them back to you.”

 

 

Keith started laughing. He couldn’t believe he left his favorite pair of underwear that night. As Lance pulled it out of his suitcase, he handed it over to Keith. Gripping at the fabric, he felt a warmth in his chest, looking up at Lance.

 

 

“What?” Lance questioned. Keith smiled, handing over the underwear.

 

 

“You can keep them.” Lance hesitantly took the clothing.

 

 

“But its your favorite. Why would you give them to me?” Keith scratched the back of head, sighing.

 

 

“I never really needed them. Sure, they were my favorite, but I think I’ve found a new favorite pair. Plus, I’d rather you had them than I. I’d just lose them again.” Lance took Keiths hand and pulled him into a hug.

 

 

“I’m so glad you can trust me. Even if its just underwear.” Lance whispered. Keith laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

 

 

“Alright, lets get out of here, you have a plane to catch.”

 

 

 

 

The entire drive to the airport, Lance and Keith held hands, the radio blaring in the Uber. There was that song again. I Like Me Better played from the speakers, reminding Keith when he first met Lance that first night before Vidcon started. How Lance made him feel like he was having fun doing something spontaneous and adventurous. Whenever he was with Lance, it was always interesting.

 

 

Before Keith had a moment to process his thought, they arrived at the airport. Keith helped Lance get his suitcase out of the trunk, holding him one more time.

 

 

“Until next time, yeah?” Lance said, giving off a melancholy smile. Keith felt sad that he’d have to say goodbye to his boyfriend.

 

 

“And when would that be?” Keith asked, smirking.

 

 

“Maybe it could be the next holiday that we don’t need to share with family?” It was like Lance was asking for permission.

 

 

“Sure. That sounds great.” Keith pulled away from the hug, kissing Lance. He never wanted Lance to leave, but time was running out and Lance needed to catch his flight.

 

 

 

Keith stepped into the Uber after watching Lance walk into the building, losing sight of him. His ride home was quiet. Stepping in the door to his empty apartment was quiet. Keith kicked off his shoes, placing his keys on the kitchen counter, and sitting down on his couch, he sighed. He was already missing Lance.

 

 

His phone vibrated, a text appearing.

 

L: Miss you already

 

 

Keith smiled.

 

 

K: Same here.

 

 

The next thing he knew Shiro rushed into the door, heavily breathing and aggressively pulling off his shoes. “Thank god… you’re okay…”

 

 

“Shiro, whats wrong?”

 

 

Eventually, Shiro caught up with his breathing. “Have you checked online at all?”

 

 

“No, why? I just came back from taking Lance to the airport. Whats going on?”

 

 

“Looks like Lances ex was the failing model, Nyma. She just made an exposed video about you and she’s told her fans that… you know what, just watch this.” Shiro pulled out his phone, video already on the screen and loaded.

 

“Keith Kogane is manipulating my exboyfriend. Let me tell you what happened.”


	19. With Friends Like These

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure what to call this chapter and my writers block has been bad but please enjoy this chapter anyway. Drama has to happen, but I promise there are many good moments coming!

Shutting off his phone on the plane was easy. Sending the text that he missed Keith and then turning off his phone was hard. Stupid planes and stupid rules.

 

 

Sleeping on the plane was nice, though. It was quiet, despite the annoying whirling coming from the plane and the old couple bickering behind him. Everything felt good, seeing his boyfriend, spending Halloween with him despite the fight they had and the experiences that ruined their holiday.

 

 

No, he was wrong. Things were not fine. Because once he landed and turned on his phone to get ahold of his friends that he arrived, his phone buzzed and rang with notifications and missed calls. After a few minutes of the annoying notifications and rushing to get his luggage and find his roommates, he finally got to see what all the fuss was about.

 

 

Hunk rushed to give Lance a hug once he exited the airport doors. “Whoa buddy, whats going on? Why did you call me so many times? You know I was on a plane.” Hunk squeezed Lance in a bear hug.

 

 

“I know, but I just wanted to make sure you were safe. There’s been commotion all day online, and I know you just got back but-” Pidge interrupted Hunk.

 

 

“But the bitch has returned and she is _pissed_.”

 

 

“Lets get home right now. I have to call Keith.”

 

 

As they rushed into the Uber and drove home, Lance called Keith over and over again. He finally answered when they arrived home, taken off their shoes and Lance had opened his suitcase on the living room floor.

 

 

“Are you okay?” Lance asked.

 

 

Keiths crying was echoing through the phone. “What do you think?”

 

 

“I just got into the door and I haven’t had a moment to find out whats going on. Is Shiro there?” Lance asked. “I know he was just there yesterday, but I want to make sure he’s there.”

 

 

Sniffles followed by Shiro’s voice. “Keith, who is it? Hello?”

 

 

“Thank god, whats happening?” Lance sat on the floor, his suitcase still opened, Pidge sifting through it to Lances dirty laundry.

 

 

“Well, your ex made an expose video about Keith and he’s now getting death threats again. And his other work is being shared all over Twitter. He’s already had two panic attacks wondering what to do.”

 

 

“Oh shit… Why did I think this would happen? Okay, just make sure he stays calm, maybe keep him away from the internet for awhile and do something with him. I’m gonna make some phone calls and I’ll call back when I get some answers. I’m gonna fix this. Please tell Keith I’m going to fix this.” Lances voice felt painful, like he was going to cry.

 

 

And once the phone call ended, he did. He was so happy and the moment he came home, it was over. He’d tried so hard to keep Nyma out of his life and the moment he felt any form of happiness, she comes along to fuck it up for him.

 

 

Once his crying had calmed, he noticed that Hunk and Pidge were holding him. “Are you okay now?” Hunk asked. Lance nodded.

 

 

“Whats gonna happen now?” Pidge questioned.

 

 

If Lance were being honest, he had no clue. He could call Nyma’s manager and explain the situation, but she has been fired for about a year since she tore earrings out of another models ears for just looking at Lance. He remembered that day, too. She’d been invited to a get together and was allowed a plus one. He got to go with her, but only because he was a famous YouTuber and she wanted someone with a name people would recognize so she could get publicity. It was a dream of hers, which Lance only knew because she wouldn’t stop talking about it when she would visit him on the weekends during their relationship. The party had many models there, but one model had been talking with Lance about an upcoming project she was working on and was even with her manager to discuss a date to meet with Lance in the proper setting. A party was nice to talk about collaborating, but it wasn’t professional enough to make deals like collaborations or shoots. But once Nyma returned with a waiter holding two glasses of champagne, she saw the model staring at Lance while her manager was talking with Lance and all Nyma was capable of doing was pulling the models arm to the side and slapping her across the face. Nymas and the other models managers managed to pull them apart, but Nyma was holding onto the womans earrings and ripped her earlobes, causing bleeding and a phone call to get a paramedic on the scene. Nyma had been handcuffed and questioned, sentenced to two years of community service and the assault being put on her record permanently. Her manager fired her once her cased was closed and she was to report to her parol officer.

 

 

 

Lance cleaned up his face and cleared his throat. “I’m gonna make some phone calls and figure out how to get her to stop. I should still have her parol officers number too, since she kept using my phone to call him even though she had a phone of her own.”

 

 

 

Lance spent the next few hours looking through his contacts, sifting through paperwork in his room, and opening up any and every bit she left on Twitter before going silent. He was amazed that she didn’t have him blocked. Maybe she wanted him to see everything she talks about. Furious, he finally found the number he was looking for.

 

 

Lance pressed in the number and put the phone to his ear. A deep voice answered on the other end. “Officer Sendak speaking, who is this?”

 

 

“Its Lance McLain, Nymas old boyfriend. I don’t know if you remembered.”

 

 

“Oh yes, the weak one. I remember you. Why are you calling?”

 

 

“Well, its about Nyma. You’re still her parole officer for another year, right?”

 

 

“Yes, thats correct. What is it? I did say that if you have something on her, I need to know about it.”

 

 

Lance felt his sweat drip down his back. He was getting anxious again.  
  


 

“The other night, she met with me without my knowing, was being verbally abusive towards my boyfriend and she threatened to sue over a confrontation my boyfriend had with her. She has apparently been stalking me, according to her social media, and she has posted my boyfriends adult content online for everyone to see. I’m sure this is against some kind of law, right?”

 

 

“Come to the office, I’ll have to write this as a report. And next time this happens, I better get a straight forward answer from you.”

 

 

“Yes sir.”

 

 

Then the officer hung up. Lance hated talking to the guy, he was scary and big and absolutely terrifying to be around. He was always afraid he’d say something and he would smack him into next week.

 

 

Lance left the house to meet with Nymas parole officer, taking with him as much information as he could. He had to fill out a report sheet of the incident, even though it was out of his jurisdiction. Going out of town was not allowed for her, being in a physical altercation was not allowed for her, and with what Lance had on Nyma, she was going to be charged with stalking and have a restraining order filed on her.

 

 

After some time passed, Lance left the police department and was bombarded with paparazzi.

 

 

“Lance McLain, can you explain what happened that night?”

 

 

“Mr. McLain, is it true that your boyfriend, Keith Kogane, punched model, Nyma, in the face on Halloween?”

 

 

 

Lance felt the panic again. People crowded around him, his Uber ride waiting on him. At this rate, he’d have to hire a private driver and security if this kept happening. Lance didn’t respond to any of the questions being thrown at him, he just asked the driver to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. As soon as the driver drove off, Lance took a deep breath, relaxing in the backseat.

 

 

“Dude, whats that all about?” The driver asked. Lance couldn’t remember the guys name, but at this point, he just didn’t really care for people to know at that moment.

 

 

“My ex threatened my boyfriend so I had to file a restraining order.”

 

 

“Are you famous or something?” Lance looked up at the ceiling of the Uber, sighing.

 

 

“Depends on what you define as famous.”

 

 

The rest of the drive was quiet, only wanting the fans and the media to stop asking questions. He didn’t understand how anyone can just be this obnoxious. He loved being the center of attention when it mattered to him most, when he was having the most fun with people he loved. But this kind of attention, the kind that was messy and stressful and had eyes on him for any other fuckups he could have been part of, he didn’t want this at all. Sure, he was famous, but he was internet famous. Nothing like the movie stars or pop singers. Just an internet personality who wanted to make others laugh for the pure enjoyment of seeing people smile, and if it came with some money in his pocket, then that was a plus. He wasn’t doing it for the money, in fact, he didn’t even care if this would take away brand deals or contracts with companies.

 

 

Arriving home, Hunk and Pidge were waiting in the living room for him to ask how it went. He had no choice but to file a restraining order against Nyma, there was nothing he could do. After what Keith did, he was sure he’d have to talk with him about how to approach this situation now that everyone knows about it. Keith wasn’t someone to be in the spotlight like Lance, let alone a controversy like this. Hunk and Pidge gave Lance the biggest hugs they could before they needed to eat dinner. Lance wasn’t feeling too great, though. He just wanted to go to his room.

 

 

Laying in his bed, Lance groaned. He felt the stress in his head, pounding and painful. His stomach was in knots, anything he could eat would just come back up anyway. He wanted to talk to Keith. He needed to. He wanted to make sure things were okay.

 

 

L: hey.

 

 

K: hey.

 

 

L: how are you doing?

 

 

K: i’m okay now. Also when did you start using punctuation?

 

 

L: i’m offended! i’m glad you’re doing okay now. Is Shiro still there?

 

 

K: no he left awhile ago. Heard you called to check on me. Thanks

 

 

L: don’t thank me, i’m just doing what any good boyfriend would do. Check on you when I know you’re gonna be freaking out lol

 

 

 

Lance smiled, sighing. Talking with Keith made his body calm the fuck down. He still had a stress headache, but the twisting in his stomach stopped. A knock suddenly echoed in his silent room, causing him to jump and nearly fall off the bed.

 

 

“Lance? I brought you food, man. I know you probably feel really shit but you gotta eat.”

 

 

“Did you bring-”

 

 

“Yes, I have headache meds with me.”

 

 

“Get in here.” Lance responded, seeing Hunks silhouette in the doorway. Handing over a plate with a water bottle and a bottle of headache pills from his pocket, Lance received a smile.

 

 

Lance took the meal from Hunk as he sat on the bed beside him. “Is everything okay, man? You didn’t even talk to us when you walked in the door.”

 

 

Lance sighed. “I am so sick of this.” Hunk rubbed Lances back as he vented. He talked about his thoughts and insecurities of being in the spotlight. “I just wanted to be treated like a person. I don’t like this.”

 

 

“What happened on your way here?”

 

Lance looked up at Hunk. “The paparazzi, Hunk. They are ruthless.”

 

 

Hunk chuckled. “I thought you liked attention.” Hunk cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

 

 

“You know its different right now.” Lance picked at the food on his plate. “I better eat this and get some rest. Thanks for being a bro, Hunk.”

 

 

“No problem, I’m always here for you, Pidge too.” Hunk patted Lances back, causing Lance to look up at his friend. “And we’re here for Keith too.” Lance smiled at his friend, feeling a little better. Lance watched Hunk stand up and leave his room, leaving the door open. It would usually bother him but at that moment, it was actually relieving. Being able to connect with his friends after the stressful week felt right, but having the door closed after being so open felt wrong.

 

 

Lance ate his meal in silence, knowing he had to eat. He wished Keith could be there, to experience Hunks cooking and Pidges antics and comical remarks.


	20. Everybody's Talking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drama dies down and its time for Keith to start over.
> 
> (This is the last of the drama you'll see, I promise!)
> 
> Author's Note: I added in a fictional city name along with a made up character for a couple paragraphs. Don't worry, though. Thats never gonna pop up again in future chapters. Enjoy!

It was terrifying, seeing someone talk shit about him when she knew next to nothing about him. But here he was, watching a video by Lance’s ex-girlfriend and spreading his name and secrets all over YouTube for everyone to see. He was thankful Shiro was there, but it was still horrifying. His boyfriends exgirlfriend, Nyma, said horrible things about him, how he was “slutting it up online” and “not being faithful to Lance because porn was considered cheating in her eyes”. Keith was crying, watching the video, seeing the images of his blog censored and exposed for literally anyone to look at. Of course, he made the blog to be more open about his sexuality, explore his kinks, and be comfortable with his body. And if a few guys jerked their dicks to him, it was fine with Keith. But this kind of exposure, the kind that ruins lives, was not okay.

 

 

“She’s not gonna ruin your career, Keith. I promise you that.” Shiro chased after Keith as he paced around the apartment, still crying, but panicking more than actually crying.

 

  
“No, my modeling career is over now. No one is gonna wanna work with me anymore, no brands are gonna work with me, I’ll lose my income, my apartment-”

 

 

“Wait, you’re actually thinking about doing brand deals?”

 

 

“That doesn’t matter right now because that this is happening.” Keith continued to pace, not thinking about anything else. He didn’t even notice that Shiro had pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back until his heavy and panicked breaths calmed down along with his tears. He let himself give into the warm hug Shiro was giving him, eventually completely calming him.

 

 

“We’re gonna figure this out. I’m your brother and I’m always gonna be here to help you.” Keith took deep breaths as his panicking went from tears and heavy breaths to sniffles and deep, slow breaths.

 

 

“I’m gonna work hard with people I know so that you don’t have to give up.”

 

 

Shiro was right, though. Keith couldn’t just throw in the towel because someone shared something that was already on the internet. His pride would be hurt, but his self image and confidence was. He was feeling so good about himself, but it seemed like Nyma was destroying him in every possible. First, it was making a move on Lance at the bar, then this. What else could go wrong?

 

 

Keith felt his phone vibrate and opened it up, hoping it was Lance. But it wasn’t. The notifications on his blog began to explode with hate messages and telling him he should kill himself. He handed it over to Shiro as he took a moment to calm down before he started crying again.

 

 

“Why does this have to happen to me?” Shiro sighed and walked over to Keith, setting down the phone, completely clear of notifications, his ask box on tumblr closed, and the hate messages deleted. Before Shiro could say anything, Keiths phone rang, and he picked it up immediately.

 

 

It was Lance checking on him. He felt himself crying again. He was such a crybaby, but he felt he was allowed to with all the bullshit Nyma had done to hurt him.

 

 

After ending the phone call with Lance, Shiro took it upon himself to help Keith with whatever he wanted. Shiro didn’t really have anything to do, thankfully the video he was going to film had to be put on hold because his editor was out sick and his manager was busy dealing with another one of his clients.

 

 

“Keith, you need to change your clothes.”

 

 

“Keith, take a shower.”

 

 

“Keith, eat your food.”

 

 

Keith felt more annoyed each time Shiro asked him to do something. Scratch that, demanded him. On the morning of the fourth day, Shiro turned on Keiths bedroom light, asking him to get up. Keith groaned, another day of the same shit. He knew where his brother was coming from, and he was grateful for that, but he felt like he had virtually no privacy. If he wanted to jerk his dick in the shower, Shiro would find something to ask him while he was cleaning up. If he wanted to lay in bed and call Lance for phone sex, Shiro would knock the door and tell him to go to bed.

 

But this was the last straw. Waking up with a hard on after the last few days of being unable to relief himself, he had enough. As Shiro quietly told Keith to get up, Keith shot right up and gave his brother the angriest glare known to man. “Get out of my room.” Shiro cleared his throat before slowly walking out of the room and shutting the door. Keith fell back, head against his pillow. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his ceiling, knowing his dick was more awake than he was. He stretched, feeling the comfortableness of his sheets. He didn’t want to get out of bed, it was too cozy. Keith sighed. He knew he would have to get up. He was going to get hungry and need food. Knowing Shiro, he probably has it waiting on the counter for him. He got so used to living alone. Walking around naked, jerking his dick anywhere in his apartment. He missed it. Sure, he couldn’t post on his blog anymore, but he still had needs. Even if he was dealing with online drama, he knew that him overreacting the way he did wouldn’t have stopped his body from needing a good orgasm. Not letting this chance go, he locked his bedroom door, laid back into bed, and fucked his hand.

 

 

 

After cleaning up his mess, he got out of the bedroom and saw Shiro watching television. It was the news, which was surprising for him. He completely forgot he had cable. He spent so much time on the internet, that he forgot that existed.

 

 

 

“Coming up, an online celebrity in a scandal and an ex-model breaking probation.” The female news reporter said.

 

 

“She sexually assaulted the victim, causing a verbal altercation that resulted in a physical one, which is the reason for the warrant.”

 

 

Then, it cut to a commercial. This made national news, Keith literally could not believe it.

 

 

“Oh, good you’re awake. There’s food on the counter and Lance texted you.”

 

 

“You took my phone?”

 

 

“Yeah, how else was I gonna monitor you so that you won’t look at the messages online?”

 

 

Keith sighed. “You turned off messages. And I’m not a teenager anymore.”

 

 

Shiro stood up. “I know you’re not, but your temper and your attitude breaks you if something goes wrong. I’m trying to help.”

 

 

“I get it.” Keith sat down on the couch near Shiro. “I just feel suffocated, and I have no privacy. It actually feels like I’m fifteen again.”

 

 

Shiro sat back down. “I’m sorry, Keith. Do you at least feel better after a few days?”

 

 

“Yeah, I do. Thanks.” Keith looked up at Shiro, smiling. “So, what did Lance say?”

 

 

“Oh, I don’t know. I can’t unlock your phone.”

 

 

Keith stood up from the couch to grab his phone off the bar counter.

 

L: thinking of you

 

L: I miss you

 

L: i’m gonna be on the news apparently?

 

L: she's got a warrant so you don't have to worry anymore :)

 

 

Keith smiled at the messages, feeling warmth in his chest again. He missed it.

 

 

Then, Shiros phone rang. “Hello? Yes. Okay. Good. Yeah, I’ll be over soon. Okay. Bye.”

 

 

“Who was that?” Keith asked, setting his phone down and turning towards Shiro.

 

 

“My manager. He’s finally done with his other client and my editor is back. Turns out he had the flu. I told him to get the flu shot, but did he listen to me? Hell no. I didn’t want any of us to get sick so a group of us went to get our flu shots together a few weeks ago.”

 

 

“I should probably go do that, too.”

 

 

“Uhh, yeah. I’m surprised you didn’t get it while Lance was here.”

 

 

“Well, thanks for the reminder. Do you have to go back to work?” Keith stepped into the kitchen to grab his breakfast.

 

 

“Yeah, but if you need me at all, I’m literally a phone call away.”

 

 

Shiro left and shut the door behind him, leaving Keith to take a deep breath and look around him. Its had been three days of Shiro staying over and making sure Keith took care of himself. He was not happy to see the mess in the kitchen, but at least he kept the living room clean. It was like when he was a kid and Shiro had to watch him a lot while their parents were at work. Keith would complain about Shiro sucking at making food, but he was always sure that he would eat something, even if it was snacks. Keith remembered playing outside a lot and getting comfortable around him after he’d been adopted. He was a good guy.

 

 

Keith quickly ate his breakfast before texting back Lance.

 

 

K: hey you gross human being

 

L: Aww you remembered?

 

K: yeah because you’re gross

 

L: but i’m your bf

 

K: I know.

 

L: where have you been?

 

K: Shiro took my phone away and was basically my babysitter for 3 days

 

L: lol

 

K: its not funny

 

L: come on it is though can you imagine yourself with a pacifier in your mouth lmao

 

K: you’re an ass

 

L: but you love me anyway

 

K: grrrr

 

L: I don’t see a no lol

 

 

 

 

The female news reporter on the screen started speaking again, causing Keiths concentration to pull from his phone to the television.

 

 

“A story out of the state of Oregon has people talking. An ex model by the name of Nyma had been in the news a year ago when she damaged another models ears by your earrings.”

 

 

A video clip played on screen of Nyma screaming at the other model about how she was going to ruin the models career.

 

 

“Nyma had recently been spotted in Snowdell, Oregon at a local bar causing a scene with two men, one being the infamous, Lance McLain on YouTube. Investigators say she was there stalking her ex-boyfriend on Halloween where the scene broke out. Ray Guntz, can you tell us about what happened?”

 

 

The screen switched to a man on a quiet road, it was a cross the street from the bar.

 

“Well, as you said, Nyma was here to follow McLain to this bar where she proceeded to kiss him while they were inebriated, causing Mr. McLain’s boyfriend to act out after she had verbally threatened to ruin his career.”

 

 

A video of Keith punching Nyma in the face appeared on screen. He regretted punching her, but she was acting like such a bitch, Keith couldn’t hold back. He saw why Lance got angry with him about doing that. He had no clue someone was recording the fight either.

 

 

“Nyma has a warrant out for her arrest, if anyone sees her, please contact your local police department. This is Ray Guntz, Channel 6 news.”

 

 

Keith shut off the television. He didn’t need to hear anything else. She was going to get what she deserved. It had been a very stressful year for Keith, but he was glad that it was November. It was time to relax and get through the rest of it. He hoped no more drama would come up to ruin the holidays.

 

 

K: just saw the news. Holy shit thank god

 

L: yeah I know. She needs to be punished

 

K: now that that is over and done with, what now?

 

L: well I was thinking my friends and I could come visit for the holidays? My family said not Christmas though. But we can come up there on New Years

 

K: that sounds nice. I’d like to finally meet your friends.

 

L: sounds like a plan!

 

 

Keith set his phone down on his lap and rubbed his face. He was sure he’d need to get back to working, but he just didn’t know if it was safe to. He’d have to get in contact with Shiro to work something out.

 

 

 

 

 

In the weeks following the holidays, Shiro suggested that he collaborate with him on some workout videos, challenges, and modeling for a line of merchandise Shiro was selling. It would get him started back up with work after the drama with his blog. Keith agreed to it, of course. Shiro said he’d be there for him, and if that meant working his ass off with weight training, cutting back on fast food, and toning his body, then he had no choice. He would miss the late night deliveries of pizza and the constant runs to the coffee shop.

 

 

Shiro kicked his ass into gear following Thanksgiving. Keith spent every morning on a jog with Shiro followed by a thirty minute workout plan at Shiro’s private gym at his house. Shiro cleaned out Keith’s kitchen cabinets and threw out anything high in sugar, which Keith honestly hated the most. No more Oreos for him, Shiro often said. Hell, he even texted Keith to remind him not to go out and buy sweets. Coffee was out of the question as well. He was forced to drink tea. He didn’t hate it, but it made his mornings a lot harder. Thankfully, his caffeine headaches went away after a couple weeks.

 

 

The day before Thanksgiving, Shiro and Keith finished up a set of outfits on a photoshoot set for what he was told was Shiro’s new line of merch.

 

 

“So, you excited to come home and have dinner with the family?” Shiro asked. Keith grabbed his sweat towel and wiped his forehead and neck. His hair grew longer than he expected, so his hair was tied back. All of it wouldn’t fit in it, but he was better than having his hair stick to his neck and fall into his face all the time.

 

 

“Well yeah. Its been awhile since we’ve seen mom and dad.” Keith was so busy picking up his phone and reading through his texts from Lance that he barely realized that Shiro wasn’t even listening to him anymore.

 

 

“Yeah, I miss them too.”

 

 

“What are you talking about, you just saw them a couple days ago.” Keith looked up from his phone to see Shiro leaning against his chair, staring at some guy with a headset on. Keith assumed he was a new PA on the set, so Shiro was making sure his job was being done correctly.

 

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

 

“Shiro?”

 

 

Keith was being ignored. The more Keith looked at his brothers expression, the more he noticed. Shiro definitely had a crush on the new PA.

 

 

“Hey, lover boy.”

 

 

Shiro sat up, cleared his throat and looked away from the new PA. “Uh, what?”

 

 

“Who’s the new guy? And why are you making heart eyes at him?” Keith teased. A smirk grew across his face as he placed his phone back on the chair with his hoodie.

 

 

“He’s a new PA. He’s still in college, but he’s a fast learner.”

 

 

Keith gave Shiro a blank stare. “You hired him because he’s cute didn’t you.”

 

 

Shiro scoffed. “Pfft, no. He just seems like he has potential. Plus, he really is a fast learner. And he smart. And yes, he’s cute. But thats not why I hired him.”

 

 

“You mean thats not the ONLY reason you hired him.”

 

 

Shiro picked up a shirt that was laying on his chair and threw it at Keith. “Shut up.”

 

 

“So, whats his name?”

 

 

“What?”

 

 

Keith sighed. “What. Is. His. Name.”

 

 

Shiro smiled. “I forgot.”

 

 

Keith facepalmed. “You are such an idiot.”

 

 

“Must run in the family.”

 

 

“Shiro, I’m adopted.”

 

 

Shiro chuckled, followed by Keith laughing. They spent a good minute laughing about their banter when the photographer yelled, “ready for the next set!”

 

 

“You better go get changed. We have a few more for you and then we can go have dinner.”

 

 

Keith nodded. He was feeling so much better these days. He missed modeling. It was something he enjoyed and was good at it. He hoped a brand would pick him up so he could do this full time.

 

 

 

 

 

Turned out the modeling shoot that took a couple days before Thanksgiving was actually for a calendar. Keith’s copy of the calendar arrived in the mail the day before Christmas and he wasn’t sure what it was at first. Opening up, the note attached read the words “Merry Chistmas” on the front of it. Unwrapping the thin red and white striped plastic wrap was a 2019 calendar plastered with Shiro and himself standing together in matching outfits.

 

 

“This asshole.”

 

 

Flipping through it, he felt immediate embarrassment. February was reds and pinks, which explained why he wore so many different kinds of outfits instead of a couple sets with different colors. He thought it was odd at first, but didn’t question it. Now he realized he probably should have.

 

 

 

K: you absolute dick

 

S: lol did you get your present?

 

K: yeah and why didn’t you tell me about it

 

S: if I did, would you still have said yes?

 

K: you’re right but you’re still a dick

 

 

 

 

Just as he sent the last text to Shiro, Keith received a message from Lance.

 

 

L: ok so our flights are booked and ready. we’re flying in tomorrow. You excited?

 

K: shit thats tomorrow? I completely spaced i’ve been so busy lately

 

L: you mean with the calendar?

 

K: how did you know?

 

L: because Shiro sent us a copy of it too. You look so good in these btw ;)

 

 

With the last text, Keith received an image, it was of October, dressed in orange and black, which he definitely should have realized was not an outfit Shiro was going to sell on his merch store. It was Keith, laying on what was supposed to be a lounge chair, wearing an orange jumpsuit. The buttons on it were undone and he was showing off his chest in a superman pose.

 

 

K: i’m gonna kill him istg

 

L: lol you know people are buying it right?

 

K: oh my fucking god call the police i’m killing him right now

 

L: anywayyyy we’re flying in tomorrow, you gonna meet us at the airport?

 

K: yeah, can’t wait to see you guys. What time?

 

L: around noon. Hopefully you have space for them to sleep lol

 

K: i’ll figure something out

 

L: see you tomorrow. Love you!

 

K: love you too you gross human being

 

L: ;P

 

 

 

Keith placed his phone on the kitchen counter. He definitely didn’t have everything ready. He’d been so buys he completely forgot his boyfriend and his friends were coming over for New Years. He had to do something and quick.

 

 

“Guess I better go get some air mattresses.”


	21. Happy New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really had a fun time writing this chapter. Took me 2 days, but I got it done. Its New Years week for the group, so they decided to enjoy their New Years Eve having a small party at Keiths place. 
> 
>  
> 
> There is some NSFW content at the beginning of this chapter. You've been warned.

“Are we all packed? Pidge, are you going to bring your camera? Hunk, did you bring everything you need? Did I pack everything I need?” Lance asked, rushing around the house double checking all cabinets, tables, desks, and even his pockets three times over.

 

 

“Lance, calm down.” Hunk tried to grab Lance’s hand but he was too busy running frantic to let him. He knew he was overreacting, he just didn’t want to leave anything behind that he might need. They were gonna be gone for a whole week.

 

 

Pidge cleared their throat, zipping up their backpack. “I can assure you that I have everything. I even made sure there wasn’t any laundry that needed to be done or put away.”

 

 

Their flight was in a few hours and Lance wanted to make sure everything was perfect. His bag was packed with enough clothes for the week as well as his camera, laptop, every charger he needed to survive if he was homeless, and his bathroom supplies. Hunk and Pidge couldn’t blame him. After what happened at Vidcon that year, he wasn’t going to take any chances if they were out partying at a bar or something.

 

 

“Lance, we’re all ready. You’ve already thriple checked everything, and if we don’t leave for the airport right now, we aren’t gonna make it on our flight. The traffic is already bad enough.” Pidge stated, typing away on their phone. Hunk locked all the doors and turned off all the lights in the house.

 

 

 

 

They all climbed into the Uber, heading towards the airport. Pidge didn’t lie about the traffic, it was rough. Lance was grateful to have all his tech fully charged so he could goof around playing a phone game while they waited.

 

 

 

TSA was slow as always. Hunk had to be calmed down as they passed through security. He had always feared flying, it also made him nauseous. Lance and Pidge held his hand almost the whole time during security.

 

 

 

Lance was grateful to sit in the same row as his friends on the plane, although Pidge wanted the window seat. He was glad he booked the flight as a group, better chances to get seats next to one another.

 

 

 

 

 

Landing at the airport in Snowdell, Lance booked it for baggage claim as Hunk and Pidge headed to a nearby restroom. Hunk couldn’t use the restroom because of his fear of flying and Pidge just couldn’t get up because of their choice of seating on the flight. Lance didn’t even think about it, all he could think about was seeing Keith again. He rushed to baggage claim, snatched up the suitcases for all three of them, and cautiously ran to the automatic doors, the same ones he ran to two months ago.

 

 

As he approached the doors, he saw the familiar silouhette on the other side of the glass. Lance’s heart raced, his pace getting faster. The doors opened and Keith was standing there, smiling and opening his arms. Lance didn’t see anyone else, he just let go of the luggage and wrapped his arms around Keith. It was so strange to see him again two months later. In that time, it seemed Keiths hair grew a little and it was snowing. It wasn’t enough to cover ground, but it was still a beautiful sight. Lance felt warmth and joy in his chest.

 

 

“I missed you so much.” Lance whispered, taking in Keiths scent. He wore cologne for this. He must have wanted to make a good impression.

 

 

“Its been two months, Lance.” Keith replied. Lance chuckled, pulling away from the hug to sprinkle kisses across Keiths face.

 

 

“It doesn’t matter how long its been, when I’m away from you, I miss you.”

 

 

“Calm down lover boy, you’re gonna make me puke.” Pidge stated, walking outside of the automatic doors with Hunk.

 

 

“You don’t have to embarrass me.” Lance responded before kissing Keith on his lips. Keith smiled.

 

 

“I missed you too, Lance.”

 

 

 

 

 

They all piled into the Uber and headed to Keiths apartment. Hunk had to sit in the front seat because it was such a small car. Lance grumbled under his breath that Keith should have gotten an Uber XL, but all he received was a jab into his side with Keiths elbow.

 

 

 

 

Lance climbed out of the Uber, seeing the tall apartment building. He couldn’t wait to show Pidge and Hunk the place, even if it was Keiths to show off. While Pidge and Hunk grabbed their luggage, Lance turned around to kiss Keith and slip his hand into his pocket to grab his keys. Sneaky little bastard, Lance figured Keith was thinking at that moment. He wanted to open the door and get everyone inside. He wanted to order delivery and set up in the living room and enjoy the week with the love of his life. At least, thats what he felt like Keith was to him.

 

 

Everyone followed up the stairs. He clearly knew where he was going, so once he opened the door, he was surprised to see someone standing in the living room along with bedding all over the floor.

 

 

“Shiro? What are you doing here? And how did you get in here?”

 

 

He chuckled. “I have a spare key. When Keith moved in, I got the second copy of it. Who are your friends?”

 

 

Hunk gasped. “Oh my gosh, its Takashi Shirogane! Wait, how do you know Keith?”

 

 

Keith weaseled his way through the tight corridor to greet Shiro, hugging him. “I’m glad you got here before I did. It looks great in here.” Keith stated.

 

  
“It wouldn’t be cool if you set it all up.” Keith chuckled at Shiros comment.

 

 

“Are you guys gonna tell us how you know each other or not?” Pidge asked, growing impatient. Lance sighed.

 

 

“Calm down, Pidge. They’re adopted brothers.”

 

 

Hunk gasped. “I never would have guessed! Is that why Keith looks so good, you teach him about his health right?” Hunk completely forgot about his suitcase, leaving in in the doorway.

 

 

“I try. We work out a lot, but he still eats like a teenager.”

 

 

Keith punched Shiros arm. “Shut up.”

 

 

Lance ignored the conversation from there, looking around the room. Ferry lights were stuck all over the room, the couch was covered with a huge sheet, cushions and pillows were scattered all over the floor and covered with the huge sheet as well, it seemed like it took a bit to set up the comfortable sitting space. It was good that it was there, though. Keith didn’t have a dining room or a dining table, since he lived alone.

 

 

“Okay guys, you can put your suitcases in the spare bedroom.” Keith stated, walking to down the hall to the bedroom on the left. Lance smiled, watching Keith walk away.

 

 

“Keep looking and they’ll get stuck like that.” Shiro whispered, causing Lance to clear his throat. It wasn’t his fault, Keith just had a great ass. And from the way he was walking, it was like he wanted Lance to look. He was doing this on purpose. Lance was with his friends for New Years and Keith was taking advantage of it. Sneaky…

 

 

 

 

 

While Shiro ordered some food for the group, Lance headed to the spare bedroom to put down his suitcase and find some clothes to wear for the night. It was different in the room this time. Instead of the racks full of clothes, there were about three racks with several different kinds of clothing.

 

 

“Did you get rid of some stuff?” Lance asked. Keith walked over to the door.

 

 

“Well, yeah. I got rid of clothes that I didn’t need. Donated them to a local homeless shelter. I know they’ll need them more than myself.” Lance smiled. “Now, put that suitcase in my room. There’s no space in here for you.”

 

 

Lance scoffed. “What? Why?”

 

 

As Keith walked out of the room, he stopped, turned around, and it was seductive how Keith was looking back at him. “Because you’re fucking extra.” And then Keith disappeared into the hall towards his bedroom. Lance felt his skin tingle. How fucking dare he rile him up like this! It was tragic. They just arrived and he was already making his heart race and his body weak.

 

 

Lance peaked behind him, seeing Pidge and Hunk clearly distracted with what was on the racks as well as finding clothes to wear for the night. Lance figured he’d leave them be for now. Following Keith, he slipped into the room, shutting the door behind him and setting the suitcase down on the door. Then, he felt hands creep up behind him, a warm body caressing against his back and his body shuttered.

 

 

“God, what did I do to deserve this?” Lance pleaded jokingly. All he heard was a chuckle behind him. Keiths hands slipped underneath his shirt at some point and now he was rubbing his nipples. He was already half hard at this point, and yet Keith was making it harder to keep his pants on.

 

 

“Keith my friends are in the next room...” Lance whispered. One of Keiths hands trailed down to Lances zipper, making his breath catch in his throat.

 

 

“I just want to help you get undressed. Plus, I missed you.” Keiths hand gripped at Lances erection through his underwear. “So fucking much.” Keith was whispering in his ear, his skin felt like it was on fire. The dangerously time sensitive moment they were having could stop the second someone opened the door, which they were still in front of.

 

 

Keith turned Lance around, locking lips with him. In between breaths, he pulled away. “You’re really antsy. Whats gotten into you?” Lance asked as Keith nibble and kissed his neck.

 

 

“Its been awhile.” Lance heard him say. Keith was doing such a great job at arousing him that he almost forgot to quiet his moans. Thank god no one could hear them, but at the rate Keith was going, everyone in the damn building would know what they were up to.

 

 

As Lance was thinking about trying to keep his voice from getting any louder, Keith pulled out his cock from his pants and began to stroke it, standing up to kiss him more. He was really going to do this right now!

 

 

“Keith...” Lance whispered, “this is dangerous...” Keith chuckled.

 

 

“I know, but isn’t it exciting…?” Keith replied, pulling away and getting on his knees. Lance was already dripping with precum at this point, and if Keith actually started sucking him off, he’d totally blow his load all over his boyfriends face. Just the thought of that made his cock twitch.

 

 

“You’re such a bad boy, aren’t you?” With Lances back against the bedroom door, Keith placed his lips on the head of Lances cock and softly sucked. He forgot how good Keith was, sure he was a brat, and he always had a smart mouth, but it wasn’t saying anything while he was doing this and he could enjoy his boyfriends mouth at any time. Lance tried looking down at Keith, his hair pulled back into a tiny ponytail and his eyes closed. His breath was hot, his wet mouth was hot, everything about Keith was hot. Then, Keith did something with his tongue, licking up and down the shaft at a slow pace and Lance couldn’t help but gasp for air.

 

 

“You fucking asshole...” Lance whispered, pulling at Keiths hair. Lance looked down to see Keith smirking. He was fucking with him. He was enjoying this.

 

 

Lance cleared his throat. “Open your mouth.” He demanded. Keith smiled and did as he was told, allowing Lance to slip his cock into his boyfriends skilled mouth. In and out, he jerked his hips, slowly so he wasn’t choking Keith. At some point, Keith started moving himself further and further, letting Lance fuck his mouth with no limit. Had he done this in the past? He must have because the way he glided into Keiths mouth and throat was nothing short of a gift.

 

 

Lance felt the burn in his gut, he was getting close. Keith started sucking as Lance fucked his mouth, and his vision blurred.

 

  
“I’m gonna cum… Keith...”

 

 

With a short hum, Lance gasped and covered his mouth, keeping his moans in the best he could. Lance came, making him close his eyes with how strong the orgasm was. Keith pulled away while he wasn’t looking, so when Lance finally looked down, he saw Keith had a mouth full of his cum and it was partially on his face.

 

 

“I can’t believe you did this...” Lance finally said after catching his breath.

 

 

Keith swallowed what was in his mouth and stood up. “Can you blame me? I couldn’t resist.”

 

 

Lance pulled Keith towards him and kissed his lips. “You kinky fucker. You couldn’t wait until later when everyone was sleeping?”

 

 

Keith was blushing, and judging from his movements, he was still in the mood. “But then it wouldn’t have been this fun.”

 

 

“I didn’t say it wasn’t fun, but you better clean up and get changed. They’re expecting us.”

 

 

Keith nodded, rushing to his bathroom and closing the door. Lance sat on the floor, completely exhausted from getting a blowjob from Keith while standing against a door. Thankfully, his suitcase was still next to the door so he wouldn’t need to walk across the room to fish for clothes to wear.

 

 

 

 

 

Lance and Keith walked out of the bedroom, checking in the spare room to see if they were still goofing off in there. No one, just two suitcases, opened and ransacked. There was giggling and laughing in the living room so while Keith picked up clothes from the floor of the spare room, Lance walked towards the cackling.

 

 

“Look who it is. Did you have fun in there?” Pidge joked. Shiro snorted, noticing that Lance was most definitely blushing.

 

 

“That was rude, Pidge.” Hunk nudged Pidges shoulder, forcing a chuckle to escape them as they fell over.

 

 

“Come on, do you have to make a joke out of it?” Lance questioned. It was embarrassing.

 

 

“What are you guys joking about?” Keith joined the conversation, standing behind Lance and wrapping his arms around him.

 

 

“You guys being lewd in the bedroom.” Shiro finally said, prompting Keith to grab a pillow on the couch and throw it at his brother.

 

 

“Whens the food supposed to be here?” Keith asked. Lance joined Pidge and Hunk on the floor, the television was on a YouTube video. Judging from the laptop on the floor in front of Pidge, it was probably just memes they have stockpiled somewhere.

 

 

“It should be arriving soon. Deliveries are being cut short in about an hour so I had to get it done as quickly as I could.” Shiro said, checking his phone before placing it on the floor inbetween the couch and the wall.

 

 

Keith sat on the couch, sighing. “Where’s the booze?” Lance leaned against the couch so he was inbetween Keiths legs. He wanted to sit close to Keith, just not too close. His friends would probably poke at him and crack jokes.

 

 

“Its in the fridge.”

 

 

“Can you get me some?” Keith asked, still lounging on the couch.

 

 

“Why can’t you go get it yourself?” Shiro asked.

 

 

“I’m tired...” Keith whined.

 

 

“From what? Sucking dick?” Pidge commented, looking through Reddit for more memes.

 

 

“Pidge, will you stop? I’ll take away your laptop if you keep at it.” Lance reprimanded. It was like taking care of a child, except they were all adults.

 

 

Pidge agreed to stop making jokes about their sexcapade in the bedroom. Keith had to face the fact that if he wanted alcohol, he’d have to go get it himself. Once food arrived, Hunk greeted the delivery person at the door and gladly tipped them. Lance found it admirable for him. He often forgot to tip delivery drivers, but he knew it would be something he would need to learn to do without thinking about it.

 

 

“Alright, we have a lot.” Hunk said, setting everything down on the kitchen counters. “We have salads, pasta, pizza, and a ton of snacks. How the hell did you get all this stuff?”

 

 

Shiro stood up from the couch, trying hard not to step on Pidge or their laptop sitting on the floor. “I used a local food delivery service app that does grocery and fast food. I had to get everything. Everyone is gonna be closed.”

 

 

“I forgot that was a thing.” Hunk stated, looking through the many bags of snacks.

 

 

Lance looked up at Keith who was drinking a glass of wine. “You really like wine, huh?” As Keith took a sip, he nodded.

 

 

“Its literally the only thing I’ll drink for days.” Lance chuckled. “You really like fruity drinks huh?” Keith retorted. Lance looked up at him again.

 

 

“Its the only thing that doesn’t taste like gasoline to me.”

 

Keith laughed. “How do you know what gasoline tastes like?” Lance sat up, scoffing.

 

 

“How dare you, Mister Kogane.” Then, Lance began to tickle Keith.

 

 

“Lance, stop, I’m gonna spill my wine!” Shiro grabbed the glass from Keiths hand, saving his carpet. It was dark red wine after all. But Lance didn’t think about that. He just kept tickling Keith until he started laughing so hard, he was tearing up and struggling to get away.

 

 

Then, Keith kicked Lance in the chin. Lance stopped and covered his face. “Ow, shit!”

 

 

Pidge pushed the laptop away to check out the damage. “Move your hands, let me see.”

 

 

Lance took a deep breath. “You just have a bloody nose and you are definitely gonna have some bruising on your chin. Be lucky, if you had your tongue inbetween your teeth, you could say goodbye to those tastebuds.”

 

 

It was hard for him to talk, so he got up from the floor and grabbed some ice to put on his face. At least he could still enjoy some alcohol. It was only about nine at night and he already had an injury. It was his fault, but seeing Keith laugh was worth the kick to the face.

 

 

 

Everyone grabbed food and sat down on the couch and floor. Pidge put on more stupid memes to watch and laugh at. Hunk handed over a bottle of Jack Daniels for Pidge and didn’t even hesitate to look away to open it and start drinking from it. Shiro nearly spit out his food.

 

 

“Whoa, they can put it away.” Shiro commented.

 

 

“Yeah, I know. First time I witnessed it, I was in shock. You’ll get used to it.”

 

 

Keith was eating pasta and sipping his wine. He was so engulfed in the video playing on screen that he didn’t notice Lance kept looking back at him. He wasn’t drinking a lot, he was cutting back and gave himself an amount to work with. After the fiasco that happened in the past year, Lance wanted to quit. It was going to be hard, he knew, but he wanted to do it. If he was going to remember all the time Keith smiled, all the time Keith laughed, or told a joke, or told him he loved him, he had to stop drinking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hours passed and Shiros phone rang. Picking it up, he stated, “Okay guys, change it back to cable, the countdown is starting in a few minutes.”

 

 

Pidge fiddled with the remote and put away their laptop. A huge crowd was gathered in New York City, the countdown in the corner of the screen.

 

 

Keith placed the dirty dishes in the kitchen on the counter, reaching for bottle of wine from the fridge. Lance watched Shiro walk over to Keith and talk about something he couldn’t hear. Hell, he couldn’t even read lips. Whatever it was, it must have been important. Keith didn’t grab another glass of wine after Shiro walked back to the couch. Keith took a bottle of water from the fridge instead and sat back down on the couch with Lance, who had moved from the floor.

 

 

“With just one minute left, everyone is getting excited. As you can see behind me, the crowd is cheering and a band on stage is getting finished performing one of their greatest hits!” The woman on screen shouted into her microphone. The counter was getting closer and closer.

 

 

 

Everyone in the room stood up, ready to count down.

 

 

“Here we go!”

 

 

“Five!”

 

 

Lance turned to see Keith, his eyes were sparkling. He was even more gorgeous than the day he first planted his lips on him.

 

 

“Four!”

 

 

Lance grabbed Keiths hand, causing him to look back. God must have taken a long time to create this man, the one standing beside Lance, wearing a long shirt that barely covered his legs, had the most luscious eyelashes he’d ever seen on a man, and the worst god-awful haircut that pissed him off, but was fun as hell to pull.

 

 

“Three!”

 

 

Keith wasn’t counting anymore. Instead he was looking back at Lance, their eyes meeting. It was like the time they danced together at Vidcon.

 

 

“Two!”

 

 

Lance couldn’t think about the count down anymore. All he could think about was the feeling in his gut, the kind that makes you sick from nervousness. The kind that feels like fluttering is happening and you can’t help but let it all out.

 

 

“One!”

 

 

Lance pulled Keith close to him, cupping his cheeks and pressed his lips against his.

 

 

“Happy New Year!” Everyone shouted. Lance was still kissing Keith. He couldn’t let go of him. His arms were wrapped around Keith and he felt like if he let go of Keith, he’d disappear. It felt so perfect. He was so perfect. Lance nuzzled into Keiths neck, feeling warm and safe and happy.

 

 

Lance was completely and utterly in love with this man.

 

 

Before he knew it, someone had cleared their throat, forcing Lance to pull away from Keith.

 

 

“Can you like, wait until we’re asleep first?” Pidge sassed, chuckling. He felt embarrassed, holding Keiths hand and sitting back down on the couch.

 

 

The rest of the night, Pidge drank and shared more stupid stuff on the screen while Hunk laughed so hard he nearly peed himself. Shiro was watching it all go down before getting tired and cleaning up the mess around them. Keith had gotten up to use the bathroom a couple of times before falling asleep on the couch. Lance let his boyfriend fall asleep on his shoulder before laying him down on the couch. As Shiro finished up the trash collecting, Lance joined him in the kitchen to help.

 

 

“You doing alright, Lance?” Shiro asked, tying up the bag of trash and placing a new bag into the trashcan.

 

 

“What do you mean?” Lance asked, organizing what dishes were in the sink.

 

 

“You didn’t drink anything tonight. From what I know, you drink any chance you get. Whats changed?” Lance sighed, placing his hands on the counter.

 

 

“I’ve decided to quit drinking. For good.”

 

 

Shiro pointed to the front door. “Lets talk outside.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lifting the bag of trash into the dumpster, Shiro leaned against it. “Whats been going on?”

 

 

Lance joined Shiro, leaning against the dumpster. “I have shit memory when I drink. I don’t remember a whole lot from Vidcon this year, and I wish I didn’t drink so much in the first place.”

 

 

“You can keep thinking about the what ifs but it doesn’t change what happened. It was thanks to alcohol that you even met Keith. Whats different now?”

 

 

Lance looked up at the sky. He could actually see some stars. It was gorgeous.

 

 

“Halloween night, I had a lot to think about. I have to change my life if I want to be able to remember things about Keith.” Lance sighed. “I just know that drinking made things worse for me in the long run. Meeting Keith was a byproduct of drinking, but I think I would have still enjoyed his company if I hadn’t drank and ran into him at Vidcon. But, everything else, the running around and getting into trouble, the scandal at the bar, even the Halloween party at the bar. If I hadn’t been drinking, I could have protected Keith.” Lance felt heaviness in his chest.

 

 

Shiro placed his hand on his back. “It wasn’t your fault that happened. It didn’t happen because you couldn’t do anything to stop it. What matters is you’re here for Keith now. I know he’s happy that you’re still around. Trust me, I know all too well.”

 

 

Lance took a deep breath. “You’re right. I am here for Keith now. And I’m trying to be more conscious of my decesions now.” Lance felt his fingers go numb, blowing hot air onto his fingertips.

 

 

“Let’s get back inside and get some rest. I’m sure everyone is asleep up there.”

 

 

 

 

Lance walked into the apartment, pulling Keith off the couch. He groaned, barely conscious. “Come on, time for bed.” He whispered. Keith held onto Lance, keeping his weight off of him the best he could. Lance had to hold onto the wall to keep Keith from losing strength and falling asleep standing up. Poor guy was all tuckered out.

 

 

As soon as Lance placed Keith into bed, he walked out of the room to double check everyone else, seeing Shiro get ready for bed.

 

 

“Hey, Shiro?”

 

 

“Yeah?”

 

 

Lance smiled. “Thanks.”


	22. Good Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance decides to film a video and Keith has a panic attack after it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its been a long time. This chapter took me so fucking long to make because of personal life. I recently went through a breakup and have been dealing with stress at work and even went on vacation that got ruined because of my breakup. Anyway, this chapter is long as hell because its taken me a long time to write, plus the stress from my personal life. Not to mention 2 of my Tumblr blogs are no longer accessible (thanks for that Tumblr!) so I have been trying to save what I can from it before deleting them both. 
> 
> Thanks for sticking around as long as you did, y'all. Please support me through this time and giving me criticism or positive comments on this. I'm working on the future chapters and how the whole story will play out (and how it'll eventually end).
> 
> Also, Voltron being over has hit me hard and its made me sad. Hopefully everyone still writes great fan fiction.

Keith awoke slowly. He felt dizzy but didn’t have a headache. He felt grateful that Shiro told him not to drink anymore. He stretched and turned over to see Lance, passed out, cradling a pillow. Keith chuckled softly. He must have been too hot and had to hold onto something else that wasn’t a human body. He could definitely tell he was too hot though. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and he wasn’t properly covered with the blanket. Keith laid next to his boyfriend, looking at his facial features and each detail. He hadn’t properly done it before, so when he saw freckles hiding in the tanned color of his skin, Keith smiled. He was actually pretty damn cute. Sliding himself closer to Lance, he placed his hand on Lances cheek, delicately caressing his cheek.

 

 

Lance’s eyes fluttered awake, and Keith felt like he was falling in love all over again. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, so dark and deep he felt like he was drowning. The sunlight shining through the window behind him made his eyes seem like the ocean. God, his eyes were gorgeous.

 

 

Lance smiled. “Good morning.”

 

 

Keith sighed. “Morning...” Lance pulled Keith against him, kissing his lips. And then he kissed him more. And more. Keith started giggling. “What are you doing?”

 

 

“I just-” Lance kept kissing Keiths lips and face. “-love you so much.” Another kiss. “You’re so gorgeous.”

 

 

Keith started laughing now, throwing himself on top of Lance. “I can tell you’re not the only one awake.” Keith whispered to Lance. Keith saw a blush cross his cheeks and he gave Lance a smirk.

 

 

“So early in the morning? Come on, lets at least get some food first.”

 

 

 

 

Keith rolled out of bed, groaning. He really wanted some morning sex, but Lances friends were probably awake already. Pulling himself from the floor, he searched for his phone to check the time. It was only a few minutes after ten in the morning, so he headed to the bathroom to use the toilet and brush his hair.

 

 

Emerging from the bathroom, he saw Lance pulling on pants, like they were gonna go out of the apartment. “What are you doing?”

 

 

Lance chuckled. “I’m not going outside in my underwear or shorts.”

 

 

Keith knew it was the 2019 now, but to go out the next day? Lance had to be nuts.

 

 

“Why are you going outside? You do know that its snowing right?” Keith said, a serious tone in his voice.

 

 

Lance walked over to Keith, wrapping his arms around him. “Because I wanna do something cool. Sitting around inside is boring when there’s snow everywhere.” Keith heard the whine in Lances voice.

 

 

“I kinda don’t wanna put on pants.” Keith admitted, chuckling as he looked down at his own feet. Lances warmth kept him from shivering as he was still naked.

 

 

“Plus, I wanna go to your favorite place with Pidge and Hunk. And get coffee.”

 

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Fiiiine, I guess I gotta put on pants.” Lance turned Keith around and kissed his face over and over.

 

 

“I love you. SO MUCH!” Lance wrapped his arms around Keith again, squeezing him tightly.

 

 

Keith felt himself get lifted off the ground and the air in his chest was being forced out. “Let me go before I pass out.” He exaggerated.

 

 

 

 

 

Lance left the room, leaving Keith to get dressed. He managed to find a pair of clean underwear on the sink in the bathroom. All his clean clothes were in the spare bedroom so he wasn’t used to have people in place. He wasn’t about to run from the safety of his bedroom completely nude. After the fiasco about his porn blog, he’d become self conscious about his sexual nature. As he pulled on his underwear he groaned. Why did she have to ruin something he enjoyed so much? Other people did as well, but after what she did, telling the world about the secret he’d kept from the internet, it was no longer safe. His pent up rage and sexual frustration. He was really hoping to have sex with Lance, but his hunger for coffee at his favorite local spot overdrove the hunger for sexual pleasure.

 

 

Exiting the bedroom, Keith noticed Lance was in the spare bedroom looking through his clothes. “What are you doing?”

 

 

“Finding you something to wear.” Keith looked at Lance, one eyebrow raised.

 

 

“Okay, I’m just curious about what clothes you have left. Didn’t really...” Lance glanced over at Keith who closed the door. “...have a chance to look around.” Keith felt it, he was poking fun at him for taking Lance into his bedroom alone while everyone was distracted.

 

 

Keith walked over the Lance, slapping his shoulder. “Shut up, I was telling the truth. Its been awhile.” Keith looked at the clothes on the rack. It was a small collection now, many of the outfits gone. He was being truthful that he donated them and that he didn’t need them anymore. But the real truth is he didn’t want to see anything that reminded him of his blog. Most of his clothes he wore while recording his masturbation sessions or bought with his porn blog money. Looking at them just reminded him of Lances ex and her garbage video she made about him.

 

 

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, placing one hand on Keiths head and the other around his waist, pulling him into an embrace. Keith must have had a sad look on his face. He instinctively hugged back, taking in Lances warmth.

 

 

They stood there for a moment before hearing a knock at the door.

 

 

“I don’t know whats going on in there, but you need to hurry up. I gotta get dressed, too.” Pidge yelled through the door.

 

 

Keith laughed, Lance joining him. He felt good. He was happy.

 

 

Keith walked out of the room after getting dressed, Lance following behind him. Pidge rushed into the spare room so fast, it was almost like they had disappeared. Keith held onto Lances hand, walking into the living room. The space was cleaned up, sheets folded neatly next to the television, pillows stacked on top. It looked so clean it was almost as if other people hadn’t stayed over the night before, aside from the laptop sitting on the coffee table now in its rightful place in the middle of the room.

 

 

Lance let go of Keiths hand to double check his pockets and fish out his phone, scrolling. “What are you looking for?”

 

 

“Uber.” Keith nodded, knowing Lance wasn’t looking at him. Hunk joined them in the living room where he also checked his pockets. Seemed like everyone was getting ready, like Lance had told them they were going out before Keith even left the bedroom. Pidge rejoined them in the living room and they all put on their shoes.

 

 

“I’m really looking forward to these pastries Lance told me about.” Hunk stated, excited. “If I can get a recipe, maybe I’ll do a video about them. You know, put them on the map.” Keith felt his body shiver. More business for them? His favorite and safest spot in town besides his apartment?

 

 

“You think thats a good idea?” Keith asked, grabbing his keys off the counter as they all exited the apartment. He locked the door, kind of nervous of the attention the shop could receive.

 

 

“Why not? I share whats good, and if its really as good as Lance makes it out to be, it would a travesty to not share.”

 

 

They all hopped into the Uber, Keith staying quiet the whole drive there. Just thinking about the amount of press this could be for the coffee shop had his stomach in knots.

 

 

Arriving shortly, they all exited the car, Lance rushing to the door to get inside first. Keith sighed. He was so excited to get in there he just had to be first. Hunk and Pidge followed after him, Keith being last.

 

 

“Good morning, what can I get you fine young people?” Coran asked, seeing Keith enter the shop. “My, I haven’t seen you in some time.” He stated.

 

 

Keith shifted his eyes around. It seemed pretty empty, thankfully. “Hey Coran. Yeah, I haven’t felt right to come and get my usual lately.” Coran looked over at Lance and his friends. “Oh, you’ve brought new folks with you, as well. What would you like?”

 

 

Lance leaned against the counter. “I’ll have a variety of your finest pastries and your best coffee for all of us. Keith, you want your usual?” Lance looked over at Keith, awkwardly standing alone behind the group.

 

 

“You know what, I’ll get something different this time. Surprise me.” Keith responded before sitting over at his favorite spot by the window. Settling himself into his spot in the chair closest to the window, he watched cars drive by and a couple across the street holding hands and walking closely together.

 

 

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his, causing him to jump. Keith turned to see Lance sitting beside him, holding his hand on the armrest.

 

 

“Ugh, gross they’re making heart eyes at each other.” Pidge joked, sitting down in the chairs across from Lance and Keith with Hunk carrying the tray of pastries and drinks. Quietly, they all sat together, enjoying their drinks and pastries. Coran surprised Keith with a latte, cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on top of it.

 

 

Taking a sip, his mouth coated in sugar and cream, the subtle taste of spice atop the cream made his chest feel warm. Keith sighed, relaxing against the chair he was sitting in. It felt perfect, his boyfriend and his friends huddled around a coffee table, eating and chatting about whatever. Keith wasn’t really listening, he just looked out the window for a brief moment. The sun was out and shining through snow covered trees, empty sidewalks, and hardly any cars were driving around. It had been so long since he had coffee, so this new drink was just what he needed. Keith still couldn’t stand being away from his favorite coffee shop. If Shiro found out, he’d get an earful.

 

 

When Keith arrived back at the apartment with Lance and his friends, he took a deep breath as he took off his shoes. He’d only left the apartment for a couple of hours and yet he was already ready to lay down. Keith sat down on the couch and stretched.

 

 

“What should we do now?” Hunk asked, Lance responding with a shrug. Keith didn’t know either. It was like all the excitement from the night before was enough to spend a week of energy for him. Lance gasped and ran off to the bedroom. Keith looked down the hall from the couch, watching Lance speed off down the hall and into the bedroom. A moment passed before he emerged from the room, camera in hand.

 

 

“Who wants to make a video?” Lance asked. His energetic tone was enough for Hunk to raise his hand.

 

 

“Oh, me! Pick me, please!” Pidge chuckled.

 

 

“I wouldn’t mind participating.”

 

 

Lance looked towards Keith who was almost freaking out a bit. He’d never been in one of his videos before, or in any video for that matter.

 

 

“What about you, Keith?” Lance asked.

 

 

“I-I don’t know...” Keith replied, looking away awkwardly. “I don’t think it would work very well.” Keith, stop making up excuses. You look like a fool.

 

 

“You don’t even know what kind of video we’re gonna make.” Keith just sighed.

 

 

“Alright, let me just see what ideas you have in mind.”

 

 

Lance, Pidge, Hunk, and Keith sat on the floor together. Pidge had their laptop open typing away as Lance started spouting out silly ideas. They weren’t really sketches like comedy shows, but they were more vlog-like. Keith knew this already, Lance was creative with his YouTube channel and didn’t make comedy sketches like everyone else. His comedy sketches had moments where they were doing something ridiculous that looked and felt real, but were completely scripted. Keith found it pretty interesting when he looked into his channel after he met Lance.

 

 

“Okay, so we have a few options now. There’s the nerf gun trick shot from the ground to balcony, the buying a cheap table and break it to make any moment more dramatic gag, and driving around and ordering food from a drive thru and having one of us snatch the food before it makes it to the car window.” Pidge read out. Keith sighed, they were all funny and it wouldn’t hurt anyone. Sure, Lance has awful ideas already, like having one of them dress in a blonde wig, and cheetah print dress, high heels and trying to get into a frat party. Keith definitely wasn’t fond about that one, it was rude and even if one of them wore a dress, he thought he was voted in to be that person and have to relive that moment any time he’d walk by a frat house. There was also ones that could be dangerous, like filling up an entire pool with dry ice, pranking Shiro by stuffing his entire house with packing peanuts, or riding a mechanical bull while drunk.

 

 

Lance groaned. “We should start with the drive thru bit, but we’ll need a car.” Keith shook his head, he knew Lance wanted to do the stupid stuff, but thankfully Pidge said that would be dangerous and denied them all. Sometimes, Lance is unpredictable, which he knew full well from the beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

After making some phone calls, Keith was able to get ahold of someone from Shiros team with a car to film. He had no clue it was that hard to plan out filming, either. Lance switched from lovable idiot to leader in a matter of seconds as he held his camera in his hands and pressed the record button. Keith handed over the keys to Hunk who drove the borrowed car to a local drive thru where they ordered some fries and waited in line. He was glad that everyone was on board with the idea, and was glad that he was being involved. Sure, he was nervous as hell, but standing outside in the cold felt even weirder when it was followed by snatching food before Hunk can receive it. Keith stood awkwardly nearby the drive thru menu, slowly approaching the window just as Hunk drive the care up as well. Keith watched as Hunk paid for the food and suddenly, everything went by so quickly, he bolted for the window just as the fast food employee was handing the bag outside. He grabbed ahold of it and ran off, turning the corner around the front of the building because stopping in front of some plants. He took deep breaths, coughing and trying to catch his breath. His adrenaline was going haywire, but once he calmed down, he began to laugh. Looking up to see everyone in the car in front of him, they laughed along.

 

 

The moment passed after Keith entered the car, driving into a parking spot and being handed a bottle of water.

 

 

“That was hilarious, and the person in the window was so confused! We gave her a tip since he started laughing after like a few seconds.” Lance said, after everyone calmed down from the laughter.

 

 

“That was a rush.” Keith responded, feeling a little better after drinking some water.

 

 

“Did you have fun with it though?” Lance asked, turning around and looking at Keith. He looked back at his boyfriend in the front seat, and he wasn’t sure if Lances eyes were always bright, but it was like he was renewed with just one glance.

 

 

“Yeah.”

 

 

 

The rest of the day, they went to Walmart to buy a cheap white table, the really weak kind for children before going back and beginning the other scenes. Once inside, they set up the balcony at Keiths apartment for the trick shot, a container on the ledge of the balcony railing, Pidge down below with a nerf gun. It took them three shots to get the container to fall over. One dart actually landed in Hunks mouth while he was laughing, which was because Lance got shot with a dart and it landed on his crotch. Keith was just there for support to reset the area if something didn’t go the way Lance wanted it to.

 

 

The final scene was the most difficult, in Keiths opinion. He wasn’t sure what dramatic moment would trigger the breaking of the cheap table in the middle of the room, and Keith had to move is actual coffee table to the spare room with his clothes.

 

 

“Wait, why do I have to be the one to break the table?” Hunk questioned. “What about Keith? Its his place after all.” Pidge looked through their notes, ignoring the question. Keith nearly spit out his water that he was drinking.

 

 

“What?” Keith looked towards Lance who was standing and looking around, thinking.

 

 

“I mean, as long as he can break the table.” Lance teased. Keith felt his temper coming out.

 

 

“Is that a challenge?” Keith retorted. Lance smirked, he was fucking smirking, this is what he wanted and it was written all over his face.

 

 

“Maybe.” Keith cracked his neck, no longer keeping his cool. How could he when Lance was poking the metaphorical bull with a stick?

 

 

“You little shit. Fine, lets do this.”

 

 

Setting up the table and organizing themselves, everyone was in their spots. Hunk sat on the couch with Pidge but they changed their mind and sat on the floor, Lance sat nearby with the camera while Keith stayed in the kitchen trying to remind himself that he was only acting. Even though his emotions felt real, he knew that Lance was just riling him up to get the reaction for his video. And before he knew it, the scene had begun.

 

 

“So Hunk I heard that you have a girlfriend.”

 

 

“Yes.”

 

 

“What’s her name?”

 

 

“Uh, its Shay.”

 

 

“Why did you hesitate?”

 

 

“You caught me off guard, I didn’t know you were gonna ask me that.”

 

 

“Are you sure or did you just make her up?” This line caused Hunk to laugh really hard.

 

 

“Excuse me, some of us are trying to work over here.” Pidge stated, typing away on their computer screen sitting across from the couch in front of the white coffee table.

 

 

Lance chuckled. “Are you actually working or are you looking at hot people?”

 

 

Keith felt the annoyance, the loud talking and laughing. He still wasn’t sure when he needed to destroy the table.

 

 

“Are you sure you’re not deflecting, there Lance?” Pidge replied.

 

 

“What are you talking about?” Lance sounded like he was the one caught off guard.

 

 

“Come on, the rumors.” Hunk poked in. This was it, his time was coming to break the table.

 

“What rumors?” Lance asked, nervously laughing.

 

 

“That you dating that Keith guy is just a cover up because you aren’t cool enough to date anyone.”

 

 

Yepp, that was it. Keith felt his blood boil and he stormed out of the kitchen.

 

 

“Keith calm down, its just a joke!” Keith wasn’t listening, he stomped onto the table, the middle completely broken in pieces like it was nothing.

 

 

Pidge moved their laptop out of the way as Hunk tried to pull Keith from the table. Lance shoved the camera in his face, shouting.

 

 

“Keith its a joke, stop it!”

 

 

It was too late, Keith pushed Hunk off of him and pulled the table apart, one leg of the table in each hand and ripping it in half like a sheet of paper. Keith felt his body calm down from the anger and he started breathing heavily.

 

 

Before he had realized, the table was destroyed and Lance was holding him, tightly. He wasn’t even holding the camera in his hands anymore, instead his arms were wrapped around him. Keith felt his body weaken, his knees buckled a bit and he returned the hug. He didn’t even notice Pidge or Hunk at all, his vision foggy, just the warmth of Lances embrace coaxing him into a calm state was all he knew at that moment.

 

 

When Keith was finally calm, he was sitting on the couch, the table still broken on the floor, and Hunk and Pidge sitting nearby him, looking at him concerned.

 

 

Lances hand was holding his. “What happened?” Keith asked. “I think I blacked out there for a little bit.”

 

 

“You did what we planned, but afterwards, you went into a panic attack. Are you okay?”

 

 

Oh shit, he had a panic attack? In front of Hunk and Pidge? Keith covered his face. He didn’t even notice he was crying until he wiped his face. “How fucking embarrassing…” Keith whispered.

 

 

Hunk spoke up. “Don’t be, its a natural response for you. I think that was too much for you to do and I didn’t even know it would cause that kind of reaction.”

 

 

“Obviously, if we do this again, we need to have a full script. I shouldn’t have just waited for the perfect time.” Lance apologized. “I’m sorry, Keith.” He looked towards Lance, his eyes glimmering and sad.

 

 

“I know you weren’t thinking. And its okay.” Keith took another deep breath before kissing Lances forehead. “I didn’t know I’d react like that either.”

 

 

“Should we delete the video?” Pidge asked, closing the laptop and setting it aside.

 

 

Keith shook his head. “If it was authentic and looks good, keep it. I know I was only acting, I just let my emotions take over. I’ve never done this before.”

 

 

The air in the room felt lighter after talking about the situation. “Well, now that we talked about that, who’s hungry?” Hunk asked. Lance raised his hand excitedly.

 

 

“OH, ME!” Keith chuckled.

 

 

“Lets just order something. Its really late and I’m getting a little tired.”

 

 

 

 

Keith knew their time visiting was short, and the day went by quicker than he thought. The sun had been long gone, but most places were still open for delivery. He didn’t want to spend any more time cooking while they were visiting, especially since he wanted to lay in bed with Lance more than anything after the stressful and anxiety inducing day he had.

 

 

 

Pizza arrived and they all sat together in the living room, watching dumb movies on his television. The night ended with Pidge falling asleep on the floor, Hunk asleep on the couch, and Lance and Keith cleaning up the pizza boxes before heading to Keiths room.

 

 

 

Did Keith want to have sex with Lance again? Of course he did, but he was so tired, that halfway through groping his boyfriend, he fell asleep, the soft breathing coming from Lance lulling him to sleep.


	23. I Still Get Jealous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone enjoys their break with the group, video making and flirting ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm a huge YouTube fan so I made this chapter for awhile. I have a full time job, but with how busy I've been and my depression messing me up, I've taken longer that I wanted with this chapter. I'll be back on the main storyline after this chapter, I promise! This was just something fun that I wanted to write for the story, since Keith and Lance have had many ups and downs in this AU.

His eyes closed before he even had a chance to grope Keith back, somehow falling asleep with Keiths hands on him.

 

 

That night, he had a dream. He felt light in it, like whatever weight has been on his shoulders has been lifted. He’s laying on what feels like a cloud, sitting up and seeing a sleeping Keith next to him. Its dark, but not terrifying. The space around him was too dark to see, but he could make out that he was in a room. It was cluttered, but more like his room than Keiths. Keith kept his room as clean as possible while his room was covered in posters, miscellaneous clothes on the floor and furniture, and his dresser had random items scattered across it. It was more like a mixture of their two styles, cluttered but neat. Looking around the room, he noticed the walls weren’t covered in posters, but rather neatly decorated with pictures of them together and posters from past Vidcon events. He even had his own merchandise he had been wanting to make packed into a corner. Turning back to Keith he saw him still soundly snoozing, fashioning a ring on his hand. A single beam of light lit up the room and it glistened in the sunlight.

 

 

Opening his eyes, he saw Keith sleeping next to him. Lance couldn’t believe how gorgeous this guy was, and he lifted his hand up and cupped his cheek, pressing his thumb against his skin and caressing the spot. Keiths eyes fluttered open and he smiled.

 

 

“Morning...” He whispered. Lance smiled back and moved closer to Keith, pecking his nose with his lips.

 

 

“Good morning.” Keith slipped his hands around Lances torso, eventually finding his own hands and holding them up to his face, kissing the knuckles.

 

 

Lance pulled Keith into his chest, feeling his warmth underneath the blanket, realizing their were both naked.

 

 

“We fell asleep.” Keith softly said, chuckling.

 

 

“I guess so. Must have been tired.” All the filming they did the day before really exhausted them. From the constant moving things around, concentration on work, and the emotions Keith had to endure, it was enough for their bodies to make them pass out.

 

 

Keith and Lance laid in bed for a few more minutes before Pidge barged into the room. “Wake up, love birds, we don’t have a lot of time left, lets spend time together!” Scaring the hell out of Lance to invoke the reaction of screaming and hiding under the covers. Keith just sat up and glared at the door. Pidge laughed a little.

 

 

“The look on your face was so good, Lance.” Keith rolled his eyes, nudging him to get out from under the blanket.

 

 

“That was NOT cool, Pidge!” Lance yelled from underneath the cover. He was enjoying his alone time with Keith and Pidge just had to spook him! What a little shit!

 

 

“So, we gonna hang out or what?” Pidge asked. Lance knew they didn’t mean it in a rude way, but the entire holiday had been them all spending time together, he just wanted to be alone with his boyfriend for awhile. Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps echoed from the hallway, followed by a voice.

 

 

“Pidge, what did I say? Leave them alone for awhile. Sorry guys.” Lance felt his face heat up as he heard the door shut followed by Hunks footsteps and whining from Pidge.

 

 

“Awkward.” Keith stated before laying back down and pulling the blanket from Lances face.

 

 

“I love them, but sometimes Pidge cannot read a room.” Lance responded. He was looking towards Keith again, seeing his eyes glisten in a way he never noticed, like he was seeing them for the first time.

 

 

“Gorgeous.” It was all Lance could manage to say before Keith climbed on top of him. His hair fell from his ears, it looked like a deep dark waterfall the way it fell. Keith leaned down and kissed Lance, the softness in it was enough to take Lances breath away. Keith kept pulling away and before Lance could register that he’d pulled away, Keith went back to kissing him, each time getting a little heated.

 

 

They somehow ended up making out, Keith nibbling on Lances lower lip. His breath was caught in his chest, Keiths hands were touching his, locking them down against the pillows. Don’t get him wrong, he loved every second of this, but there was something going on in Keiths head that he couldn’t quite figure out. Each time he felt like things were going in a certain direction, Keith would back off a little, making the atmosphere change from sexual to romantic in a matter of milliseconds, and before Lance had a moment to process the change, Keith went back to kissing him aggressively. Lance felt his body get warmer each time, making him feel confused. Was Keith trying to excite him or give him blue balls because at the rate he was going, Lance was sure his now fully hard dick would be throbbing painfully.

 

 

Keith sat up, straddling Lance. Lance opened his eyes and saw a smirk across his face. He was once again, doing this on purpose. Getting him aroused and then waiting for a response was something he felt like he was going to have to get used to. Lance could tell he loved playing with him this way, judging from how his cock twitched and Keith chuckling at it.

 

 

“Looks like your plan is working, you little devil.” Lance spat.

 

 

“I’m just getting started.”

 

 

Keith and Lance spent an entire hour playfully groping and caressing one others bodies, their chests, their backs, their necks, their thighs, their hips, any and every place that they could touch, they did so.

 

 

Before they could really down and dirty, Lances stomach grumbled, creating a lighter atmosphere. Keith laughed, Lance following him.

 

 

“I think we better eat something, we can continue this later.”

 

 

Lance arose from the bed, slipping on some underwear before heading to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, his hair was a mess, definitely needed to be brushed and his face was starting to hate him. He forgot to do his morning routine while he was staying at Keiths place and his skin was suffering for it. Splashing water against his face, he felt himself wake up a bit more, the erection below going down significantly. He managed to find face wash in the mirror cupboard, reading the bottle before smearing it over his face and washing it off. He was already feeling better, making a mental note to bring his skin care products with him next time he flew in to spend time with Keith.

 

 

Exiting the bathroom, he saw Keith slipping on one of Lances shirts, completely oblivious to the fact that Lance was watching him. He stared as one of his shirts slipped over Keiths skin, his exposed back being covered by the fabric.

 

 

“Its a damn shame that you have to put on clothes,” Lance stated, walking over to Keith who jumped a little at the sudden sound in the quiet room, “but it makes me so happy to see you wearing something of mine.” Lance wrapped his arms around Keith from behind, nuzzling his nose into his neck. God, he smelled so good, something about his natural scent was enticing for him, but not enough to the point where it was arousing. He just couldn’t get enough.

 

 

“Lance… stop...” Keith chuckled, Lance not paying attention. He had apparently been breathing heavily against his skin and sprinkling soft kisses on him. “We gotta eat something.” Keith continued, his stomach rumbling this time.

 

 

They both left the room partially clothed, but enough to where it wouldn’t cause emotional scarring for anyone outside his balcony glass doors. Pidge was on their laptop again, only they were playing a game and aggressively tapping the keys. Lance entered the kitchen to see Hunk finishing up lunch, which was leftover fried noodles with veggies and sausage bites. It smelled great, his stomach beginning to eat itself. Lance reached over the stove while Hunk was placing something in the fridge behind him, and just as he was about to touch a piece of sausage, Hunk slapped Lances hand away.

 

 

“No, only the cook gets to taste it first.” Hunk said, picking up the sausage Lance was about to touch and placing it in his mouth. Lance pouted.

 

 

“But I’m hungry….” Lance whined.

 

 

“Lucky for you, its ready. Grab a plate please.” Lance sighed, walking over to a cabinet to pull out some plates. Keith didn’t have any real dishes, despite a perfectly good set of tableware sitting in a box in the hall closet, so he had to deal with the foam plates for now.

 

 

Food was served and they all sat together, munching away at their meal while Keith flipped through Netflix for something, anything to fill the silence in the room.

 

 

“Just pick something already.” Pidge groaned. “Look, there’s that episode of Black Mirror I’ve been meaning to watch.” Pidge pointed to the screen, standing up and actually touching the television. Their finger landed on the image, the word “Bandersnatch” in bold letters across the promotional image.

 

 

Hunk gasped, “Oh no, I’ve heard about it, too spooky for me. Lets watch something tame like Cupcake Wars.”

 

 

Lance watched as Pidge and Hunk went back and forth. Eventually, Keith sighed.

 

 

“Alright, you know what, shut up, I’m playing some hetero movie since you guys won’t help me figure out what to watch.” Keith selected the movie titled “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before”.

 

 

Lance finished eating a few minutes after the film began, so he picked up everyone elses plates and threw them in the trashcan by the front door. He then nestled into the couch next to Keith, pulling the blanket that Keith was under over his legs. His cold toes surprised Keith, causing him to flinch and gasp.

 

 

Lance chuckled. “Your toes are cold, get them away from me.” Keith whispered. Lance just smiled.

 

 

“No, you can’t make me.” Lance placed his toes on Keiths leg again, earning a kick in the shin.

 

 

At some point during the film, Keith was distracted by what was happening on screen that he didn’t notice Lance was staring at him again. His eyes were glistening again. It was during the part where the girl was writing a letter to the last guy she had a crush on. He could tell from just this moment that Keith was a romantic at heart. Lance felt inspired, enough to want to write Keith letters.

 

 

After the movie, Pidge stretched and yawned. “Man, that was one cheesy ass movie.” Lance rolled his eyes.

 

 

“I don’t know, I thought it was interesting. Now I wanna write Shay a letter. God I miss her.” Hunk replied, sighing and smiling.

 

 

“Gross.” Pidge teased. Lance shook his head while Keith chuckled.

 

 

“So, what should we do now?” Lance asked, seeing Pidge pull out their phone.

 

 

“Well, we have a couple days left here, I suggest going around town and seeing what this place has to offer. We’ve only been to a couple places, and I’m dying to see where Shiro works.”

 

 

“Oh, I don’t think-” Keith tried to butt into the conversation.

 

 

“Oh thats a great idea!” Hunk responded. “Keith, can you get ahold of Shiro and see if we can go hang out with him for a bit?”

 

 

Lance looked towards Keith, seeing the concern on his face. “Do you really think thats a good idea? What if he’s busy working?”

 

 

“Whoa, Lance thinking about other peoples feelings instead of himself? Who are you and what have you done with our best friend?” Pidge joked.

 

 

“No, thats not a good idea. He’s probably busy with his newest project right now. I would prefer to not bother him. Once he’s in the zone, there’s not stopping him.” Keith stated. Pidge sighed, crossing their arms.

 

 

“Well, we gotta do something! Honestly, we have a couple days left here and I’d rather do something fun instead of sitting around all day.” Pidge whined.

 

 

“When we’re at home, thats all you wanna do.” Lance teased. Hunk snorted, trying not to laugh.

 

 

“Maybe we could just chill for a bit and then go out and walk around downtown?” Keith suggested.

 

 

Lance smiled. “You know, thats the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

 

 

 

 

After everyone took their showers, changed clothes, and talked about random topics like shops in the area and where they all like going to the most in their local malls, everyone was finally ready to go out.

 

 

Lance and Keith piled into the car with Pidge in the backseat while Hunk sat in the passenger seat of the Uber ride. Too awkward to make conversation with the driver, they listened to some station playing jazz music for the short drive. They could have just walked to a random spot downtown, but it was far too cold and no one was going to want to walk around after making the trip outside anyway.

 

 

Finally, they all arrived at a local diner, small and quiet, but still busy with business. Everyone piled out of the car, Hunk thanking the driver and giving them a cash tip. Sure, it was out of the ordinary, but Hunk was too polite for his own good. Lance held Keiths hand as they entered the diner, which was about half full with what he could only assume regular customers. The diner was set up with neutral browns and whites, a mix of blue on seat cushions and tapestry. Lance let go of Keiths hand, standing in the middle of the room and looking around it. The amount of decorations set around the diner were cute, in a “collection only a grandmother could love” sort of way. He had to admit, it was very homey there, so welcoming to the point where someone came up to the group and greeted them.

 

 

“Hello there, not from around here, are ya?” A kind young lady asked. Lance began to blush.

 

 

“How did you know? Must not see many attractive faces unless you looked in a mirror, huh?” Lance flirted. Keith cleared his throat. Turning around, he saw his boyfriend give a disapproving look.

 

 

“No, they’re not. In fact, I was just going to show them around before they head back to California.” Keith walked over and stood at Lances side, grabbing ahold of his hand. Lance felt the squeeze around his fingers tighten, making him wince. Yeah, he was definitely pissed off at Lances flirtation.

 

 

“Oh wow, California?” The young lady smiled, curling her red hair around her finger as she continued talking. She still hadn’t noticed that Keith was holding Lances hand.

 

 

“Yes, well, I’m hungry so lets grab a table and look at this menu.” Hunk spoke up, Lance assumed he felt the awkward vibe in the conversation. He really was a great friend, trying to get the waitress to do her job and not try to push herself onto him, figuratively or literally.

 

 

They found a round table with five chairs, nearby a wall covered in old fashioned advertisements. It was like they were in the fifties, each piece sitting on a shelf or hung on the wall was aged, as if it had been there for years. Lance had to admit how warm and comfortable the atmosphere was, despite the anger emanating from Keith and the awkward flirtation he threw out at the young lady who was going to be taking their order.

 

 

Lance sat closest to the wall, looking at the menu that was already on the table. Keith cleared his throat which caused Lance to look up at him.

 

 

“What the hell was that?” Keith asked, the sting in his tone.

 

 

“I know you’re mad. I was being friendly, but I’m so used to being flirty with the ladies that I just didn’t think about it.” Lance felt sweat collect on his neck. He looked back at the menu, not really reading it, just avoiding Keiths eyes. “I guess I was just too friendly.””

 

 

Keith groaned. “Then I guess I didn’t know as much about you as I thought.”

 

 

Then it was quiet again. Lance heard Keith take a deep breath before standing up. “I’m going outside for a minute.” Lance laid his head on the table as Keith walked away.

 

 

After Keith walked out the door, Hunk spoke up. “That was rough.”

 

 

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Keith like that before.” Pidge stated. It was strange for sure. Lance knew that when Keith gets angry, he usually starts yelling, threatening to throw punches, but this time, it wasn’t like that. It was too weird, so after a minute of laying his face against the menu, he sat up, not caring about the red mark that formed on his forehead.

 

 

“That’s not normal.” Lance said.

 

 

“Alright, ready to order, y’all?” The waitress asked.

 

 

“I’ll be back in a minute.” Lance responded, quickly standing up to chase after Keith.

 

 

Outside, Lance found Keith stomping his feet and pacing as he was taking a puff of his e-cigarette. Keith looked up and saw Lance walk out the door, rolling his eyes.

 

 

“Are you okay?” Lance asked. “What’s with the e-cig?”

 

 

Keith took another drag. “I’m so angry and I didn’t wanna blow up at you in there.” Keith scratched his head and shifted around his mullet. “And this?” Keith gestured at his e-cigarette. “You’re not the only one with secrets.”

 

 

Lance stood awkwardly, watching Keith pace around the sidewalk. He hated this, the fact that he accidentally let the flirting slip and in front of Keith, no less. “I’m sorry, honestly.”

 

 

Keith stopped pacing, not facing Lance. He couldn’t see what expression he was wearing, but judging from how tense his body language was, he looked as if he was going to explode.

 

 

“Don’t apologize to me. Just, don’t. I’m not mad at you.” Keith didn’t turn to face him, only taking another puff of his e-cigarette. “I’m just mad that I didn’t know this about you. And now I’m angry that I didn’t tell you about this.” Keith pulled up his hand that was holding the device.

 

 

Lance took a deep breath, stepping into Keiths personal space and wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. “You’ve never walked away like this before. I wanted to see if you were okay.”

 

 

Keith pushed Lance off of him. “Please don’t touch me. I’m not okay. Especially with what happened in there and how she was acting around you.”

 

 

“I don’t even know her name. Can you please calm down and talk to me?” Lance wanted to hold Keith again, remind him that everything was alright.

 

 

“Give me some goddamn space.” Keith turned around, his brows furrowed. “I didn’t want to blow up at you in there, and I don’t wanna blow up at you right now.”

 

 

“Why are you acting like this? You never walk away like that, especially when you’re mad. What’s going on with you?”

 

 

Keiths expression softened, his eyes avoiding Lances gaze. Something was going on, but Lance couldn’t figure it out. “You usually feel better when you take your anger out on whatever is making you mad. Whats different now?”

 

 

Keith mumbled something before taking another drag of his e-cigarette. Lance couldn’t make out what he said, asking, “What was that?”

 

 

“I’m fucking scared, okay?!” Keith shouted, “I’m scared.”

 

 

Lance walked towards Keith and tried to reach out to touch his shoulder. “Why are you scared?”

 

 

“I’m scared that I’ll hurt you.” Keiths voice started to crack. “I don’t want to hit you, I don’t want you to run away.”

 

 

“You know that would never happen.” Lance responded. Placing his hand on Keiths shoulder, pulling him into a hug. “No matter what you did, I could never run away. If it made you feel better, I’d let you kick my ass into next week.”

 

 

Keith was crying, but also laughing. Lance caressed Keiths hair, planting a soft kiss on his head. “You’re too pure for this world.” Keith said, sniffling.

 

 

Lance pulled Keith away from him, wiping away whatever tears were on his cheeks. “No more crying, we have lunch to eat. And if something is bothering you, talk to me, okay?”

 

 

Keith took one last drag of his e-cigarette before putting it into his pocket. “Okay. Just don’t go flirting with anyone, as much as its cute to do that to me, its not cute to do that to anyone else.”

 

 

Lance chuckled. “I’ll agree to your terms. Now lets go eat. I’m starving.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch was calmer after Keith and Lance talked. Lance avoided directly talking to the waitress and Keith constantly did cute things with Lance, such as sharing plates, being a little messy with their meal, and almost starting a food fight at the table. Hunk definitely lectured Lance about playing with his food and making a mess. He even made Lance clean up his mess on the table before paying for their lunch.

 

 

 

“That was an interesting lunch. Now what should we do now?” Pidge asked. Keith suggested walking around downtown and seeing the shops available. Hunk agreed while Lance just nodded, looking around. He wanted to look at some clothing, something special for Keith. Since Keith had taken a lot of his clothes and donated them, he wanted something for just him to wear for Lance. To anyone else outside of their group, it seemed really silly, but it was a good gift idea for them, and Lance knew that whatever he decided to get, Keith would be happy to wear it.

 

 

 

After searching through the shops, Pidge found some cool graphic t-shirts from the nineties, Hunk bought an old cookware collection in an antique shop, and Lance helped Keith pick out some jewelry to wear if he were to be invited to an award ceremony. At first, Keith was against it, but Lance had a way with words and convinced him. It was a necklace, simple yet elegant. Lance spotted in while in an antique shop, sitting in the glass case around the counter. It was a small, heart shaped silver locket, matching with a silver chain. Lance fastened it around Keiths neck, watching his face light up with a smile. He looked so happy, he had no choice but to pay up immediately. Keith was against Lance paying for it, but Lance didn’t budge. After they left the store, Keith was beaming.

 

 

 

Eventually, they ended the day by heading to a bar, the very same bar they had the Halloween fight at with Nyma. It was different, with the décor being chill and not covered in spooky lights and streamers. It was quiet when they arrived, a handful of people sitting around at random tables, the bar empty with just a couple sitting together. There was enough room at the bar for all of them, so they decided to sit together there.

 

 

 

“What can I get you guys tonight?” The bartender asked. The man was scrolling through his phone, obviously bored.

 

 

“Just get me something delicious, but also non-alcoholic.” Hunk requested.

 

 

“I was something strong and alcoholic, please!” Pidge asked, their ID in their hand.

 

 

“What about you, Keith?” Lance asked.

 

 

“Surprise me.” Keith replied, settling into a chair next to Lance.

 

 

“Give us your favorite, I’m curious to see what a bartender enjoys the most.” Lance asked the man behind the counter.

 

 

Minutes passed, a conversation about YouTuber drama with Lotor was spoken. Lance really hated that guy, it boiled his blood to just think about him. At some point during the conversation, Hunks drink arrived along with Pidges. Hunk was drinking a Virgin pina colada, Pidge got a glass of top shelf whiskey, and the bartender was making Keith and Lance’s drinks.

 

 

“I swear, that guy is an absolute idiot!” Lance retorted.

 

 

“I get that, but that doesn’t mean you gotta bash him when he’s not around.” Hunk responded.

 

 

Lance shook his head. “Oh no, you don’t understand. The guy got banned from Vidcon! For starting a fire hazard with a giant crowd.” Lances drink arrived and he took a sip of it. It was blue and was fruity. Just the way he liked it. “Wow, this is good.”

 

 

“Thats not even the worst part,” Pidge spoke up. “No one has checked twitter lately have they?” Everyone shook their head.

 

 

“What about Twitter?” Keith asked. Pidge immediately pulled out their phone.

 

 

“He uploaded a video and got crazy hate. And its well deserved hate.”

 

 

“Oh come on, don’t say that-” Pidge placed a finger on Hunks lips.

 

 

“Don’t even finish that sentence.”

 

 

“What did he do?” Lance responded, taking another sip of his drink.

 

 

“He went out of the country and literally filmed someone who committed suicide.” Keith nearly spit out his drink, choking on it. Lance gasped and patted his boyfriends back.

 

 

“What the actual fuck is wrong with this guy?” Keith questioned, clearing his throat.

 

 

“Trust me, he’s a mess. I think he needs some serious help.”

 

 

Hunk sighed. “I immediately regret trying to defend him.”

 

 

 

After enjoying their drinks, Lance paid for them before everyone left to go back to Keiths apartment. Everyone was exhausted from the long day, so as soon as they entered the door, Pidge pulled out bedding from the pile in the corner and fell asleep with just a pillow and a blanket. Hunk grabbed a blanket and laid on the couch. Keith changed out of his clothes at the same time as Lance and they headed into Keiths room, falling asleep so quickly they didn’t even say goodnight to one another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The days passed quicker than anyone else thought. It was the morning of their flight and Lance could not be bothered to get out of bed. He didn’t want to pack up his suitcase and get on a plane. He did not want to give Keith one last hug and kiss before saying goodbye. Sure, it would be a while before he could see Keith again, but he knew that Shiro was going to have to talk to Keith about the apartment he bought back in LA. Pidge and Hunk already had their suitcases packed the night before, saving their showers for the morning. Lance groaned as Keith nudged him awake.

 

 

“No...” Lance pulled the blanket over his head, losing the battle once Keith yanked the blanket off of the bed entirely.

 

 

“None of that, get your nasty ass out of my bed and take a damn shower.”

 

 

“I don’t wanna…” Lance whined.

 

 

“I love you and all, but your stink is worse the longer you lay there.” Keith retorted, kicking Lances butt with his foot. “Get the fuck up or I’m dunking a bucket of water on you.”

 

 

Lance sat up, scratching his scalp and groaning. Keith had disappeared the moment he looked around the room. Standing up, he felt like he was going to burst, his bladder full and his eyes not very open. Lance rubbed his eyes as he walked over to the master bathroom, seeing Keith setting up the shower. He laid out a towel for him and everything. Lance was so grateful for this man.

 

 

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, kissing his neck. “You’re so great, you know that?”

 

 

“Oh my god, get off of me you disgusting human being.” Keith teased, shoving Lances arms away from him. “Get in the shower, now.” Lance sighed.

 

 

“Fiiiiine...”

 

 

 

Fifteen minutes passed and Lance stepped out of the shower, soaked and feeling awake. He dried off with the towel Keith set aside before walking out of the bathroom and seeing his suitcase already packed. It felt like Keith was ready to see everyone off, which made him feel a little sad. Lance put on the outfit that was set on the bed that Keith obviously chose for him, which he honestly felt happy about. Keith was probably feeling so comfortable around him and if he had to be honest, it was romantic.

 

 

Meeting everyone in the living room, Hunk and Pidge were eating on the couch while Keith was fixing plates for him and Lance.

 

 

“What time is your flight?” Keith asked as soon as Lance walked into the kitchen.

 

 

“Around three, what time is it now?”

 

 

Keith passed a plate to Lance. “Its ten, so you guys have a few hours until you gotta leave. What do you guys wanna do before you go home?”

 

 

Pidge swallowed the food they had in their mouth before speaking. “I wanna get something for my brother. Didn’t get a chance to last time.”

 

 

Hunk cleaned his plate with his tongue and set it down on the coffee table. “I don’t really know what I wanna do, but I’d like to at least look around one more time.”

 

 

Keith turned to Lance, taking a bite of his breakfast. “What about you?”

 

 

Lance tasted the food on his plate, it was a simple meal, eggs and toast. Since Hunk made it, the eggs were seasoned at just the right amount, although he could tell Keith made the toast, with the butter smeared with no skill or patience across the top. But Lance did want to do something before he left back to California. He still hadn’t bought Keith an outfit for him, which was what he wanted to do during their stay.

 

 

“Lets go shop for something. I know we don’t all day, but there’s something I wanna look for. You know of a clothing shop or something nearby?” Lance asked.

 

 

“Uhh, yeah. I think there’s a boutique a few streets down. We can look around there, I guess.”

 

 

 

After breakfast, everyone got ready and left the apartment. It wasn’t super cold outside, so they decided to walk to the shop Lance wanted to see.

 

 

 

Inside the shop, things were gender neutral. It wasn’t specifically feminine nor masculine, so everyone went their separate ways. Keith separated from Lance immediately, noticing he went straight to the clearance rack. It gave Lance a moment to look around on his own, searching for something that would fit Keiths aesthetic, but also would be cute on him.

 

 

The first spot he looked at was the blouses. Nothing really dark was there, but it was still good to have a look. He found a shirt that was baggy, yet tight around the top. It was fashionable, but not something Keith would wear. Next rack.

 

 

No pants worked with what Lance was looking for, so his last stop was the long blouses, dresses, and gowns. Everything was feminine, but also was made for women with breasts. His last resort was a short dress, mixes or red and blue, purple in between the two colors. It wasn’t tight or stretchy, but it was baggy enough where you could wear shorts underneath it and maybe wear a belt around the waist. It was in a tie dye pattern, but it was dark and mysterious. It was perfect.

 

 

Lance glanced around the shop, seeing Keith grab a shirt and walk to the dressing room. He had a moment to buy the dress and ask for it to be wrapped.

 

 

 

Eventually, everyone bought something. Pidge found a fancy looking watch, Hunk found a bright yellow and white dress for Shay, and Keith bought a shirt to replace one he got rid of. No one knew what Lance bought, but that was because he wanted Keith to try it on after they’d left.

 

 

 

 

 

The drive to the airport was quiet, yet comfortable. Pidge was already dozing off in the Uber, clearly ready for a nap on the plane. Hunk was texting and giggling to himself, and Lance was sitting in the backseat, staring at Keith in the front seat. He was going to miss his boyfriend a lot, he couldn’t stay calm at all during the drive to the airport.

 

 

Exiting the car, Hunk and Pidge grabbed their suitcases while Keith hugged Lance.

 

 

“I’m gonna miss you.” Lance whispered, still holding Keith in his arms.

 

 

“I’m gonna miss you too, but don’t be sad about it. I’ll see if Shiro wants to go visit sometime soon if and when he’s not busy.” Keith pulled away from the hug.

 

 

“If you keep being all gross, we’re not gonna make it through the TSA line.” Pidge joked.

 

 

“I’ll text you when I land, okay?” Lance mentioned before kissing Keith. Keith returned the kiss and hugged him one last time.

 

 

“You better text me or I’ll strangle you when I visit.” Keith threatened, chuckling. Lance handed the bag he was holding onto since the shop to Keith.

 

 

“Please open this when you get home.” Lance whispered, kissing Keiths cheek before turning around and walking with Pidge and Hunk to the automatic doors.

 

 

Everyone walked through the airport doors, Lance blowing kisses at Keith as they walked away. He sighed once Keith entered the Uber car and drove away. It was time to go home and it was going to be lonely. Lance hoped Keith would enjoy the gift he bought for him, but he wouldn’t know until he landed back in California.


	24. Sweater Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is hella short, but I've been working my butt off at my job and its taken me a long time to write (I started a new story so apologies for not updating this one at all) but hey, creating this has been hard on me so please enjoy it anyway! I'll try to update as much as I can, since I missed writing this one so much. But I'm honestly trying to figure out where this fic is going and where its gonna end. (its not any time soon, so don't worry!)

Keith

 

 

Stepping inside his apartment, Keith laid down his keys on the kitchen counter along with the bag that Lance handed him before he left. Why had Lance told him to not open the gift until he returned home? It was odd, out of the ordinary for Lance. Keeping the bag on the counter, he headed to the other bedroom to grab an outfit before hopping into the shower. Looking in the mirror, he forgot about the necklace around his neck. The small heart shaped locket sitting against his chest, he caressed it softly. A smile crept up, and he couldn’t help but hold it against his skin. Slipping it off, Keith placed it onto the counter by the sink. He didn’t want it to rust while he was showering, so he left in there while he turned on the water and got into the steaming shower.

 

 

Time passed and he was finally clean. Keith knew he hadn’t been doing his best to care for his hygiene as much as he should have while everyone was visiting, but the chaos that came with more than one person in his apartment was a lot for him to handle. Slipping on his clothes, he headed to the kitchen to grab the bag that Lance had given him.

 

 

Keith rummaged through the bag, finding some kind of garment, which upon further inspection was a very soft sweater, light in color. Pulling it out completely, he saw the sleeves were long, the length of the torso was as well, and the collar was bunched up. Fashionable and soft? It was like a goldmine. Most sweaters he’d worn weren’t that soft, or even light enough to wear because those were hard to find that weren’t over two thousand dollars. Where Lance found this, he felt very grateful. This was worthy of some photos.

 

 

Keith changed out of his clothes and placed the sweater over his naked body. Oh hell yes. Every part of the sweater was soft, and he felt like he could literally lounge in this thing forever if he wanted to.

 

 

After setting up his phone and taking what felt like a thousand pictures, he changed out of the sweater and placed it on a hanger, slipping it onto a rack in the spare bedroom. He yawned, stretching and realizing he’d been exhausted, in fact more than he thought. He was sure he had enough sleep the night before, but he guessed his energy was drained due to Lance and his friends being in his personal space. He hadn’t had friends quite as energetic before, or at all. It was a new experience for him and if he was being honest, it was refreshing. He thought he’d been irritated or at least too tired to do anything, but with him being alone, living alone, working alone, it was different and a change of pace and just nice. Keith smiled, looking around in the spare bedroom. He already missed the chaos that was having others in his apartment.

 

* * *

 

 

 

Keith was scrolling through Twitter on his phone and listening to a music livestream on his laptop, his legs on the couch covered with a blanket and a pillow under his back. He was drinking a glass of wine, waiting for his Postmates delivery of snacks to arrive. Nothing interesting was happening, the usual news about Lotor’s latest scandal, someone saying something toxic about owning pets, which was so stupid he actually chuckled. A text flew in, his phone vibrating in his hand.

 

L: Landed! Miss you

 

K: Good. And thanks for the gift. Fits like a glove.

 

K: [image sent]

 

L: omg that looks so good on you

 

 

Keith smiled, of course Lance would say it looked good on him. A knock at his door interrupted his lounging, realizing that his delivery arrived. Getting off the couch, he went to the door and opened it to see someone standing there, phone in hand, a paper bag in the other.

 

 

“Thank you.” Keith said, taking the bag from the delivery person.

 

 

“Oh my god, I had no idea that I was delivering for the actual Keith...” The delivery person said, a little louder than Keith expected.

 

 

“Oh, uhh...” Keith swallowed.

 

 

“I’m sorry, I’m just caught off guard.” They stated, covering their face with their now free hand. Keith still had his bag of snacks in his hands.

 

 

“Oh its okay, just don’t share where I live. Are you a fan or…?” Keith questioned. The stranger shook their head.

 

 

“Oh no, I’m a Lance fan. I couldn’t be a fan of you even if I tried.” Keith felt offended.

 

 

“Uhh, okay… Well, thanks for bringing me my snacks.”

 

 

“No problem, have a good night.” Keith placed one of his hands on the door and closed it slowly. That had to be the oddest encounter he’d ever had, but at least nothing crazy happened. Placing the bag on the kitchen counter, he took a deep breath as he sorted what was inside. After grabbing a sweet snack, he took himself back to his spot on the couch and covered up with the blanket. It was time to relax and figure out what to do with his life.

 

 

It got harder to do modeling on Instagram. Even though he loved doing it, it wasn’t making him enough money anymore. He had to do something. He was glad that Shiro was helping him with publicity, but that can only get you so far. Time was ticking, and sure, the break he had with Lance and his friends was indeed a breath of fresh air, Keith needed to get back to work, whatever that was.

 

 

Scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, Keith realized his love for clothing could help him somehow. Fashion was something he enjoyed, more than he’d like to admit sometimes, but it was surely an option. The models he’s seen online have been mainly for makeup, but clothing wise, it was unapologetically female, so he would be the first of many to get his name out there and wear comfortable and cute clothes he enjoyed for literally anyone who wanted to wear them.

 

 

Keith spent the next few hours, studying his work. Who he enjoyed seeing in clothes he enjoyed, what the importance is for them to be in the public eye with the help of companies, and even seeing prices on cameras and photographers. He paced around his apartment, looking through his clothing, touching all of them and noticing that he wanted to wear clothes that not only felt nice, but also was affordable and looked good on human bodies of all types. He hated anything that restricted him, was actually the most horrid thing anyone could ever make, or was insanely expensive.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Keith looked at the time on his phone and needed to go to bed as soon as possible. It was getting way too late and if he was going on his usual morning run with Shiro he had to get at least a few hours in. But laying in bed alone felt different, strange, wrong.


	25. Mundane Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance edits and Shiro visits for a thing in Cali.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is all over the place, been trying to write multiple chapters so y'all have something to read while I deal with my full-time job. Been listening to more music to get me motivated (and reading more fics to be honest) so I'll have a better planned out story. I think I'm halfway done with the full story, so I'll try my best to write it without inconsistencies. Everything is spaced out weird because time is rough when you write alternating point of view chapters, but I promise things are where they should be... I hope. If something seems off, feel free to comment so I can take a second look.

Lance tapped his fingers against his desk, just staring at the still frame on the screen of his computer. Keith was smiling, the light practically blinding him that shined off of Keith. Lance had been editing for what seemed like twenty minutes when it had actually been at least a few hours. Any time Keith would smile or laugh, it prompted him to pause the video and stare at his gorgeous face. He was madly in love. A few glances at the clock later, he realized he should probably finish up and upload the video.

 

 

Hunk knocked on Lances door. “Buddy, I brought dinner.” He whispered, stepping inside and placing a plate of sausage and vegetables with rice. Lance was so busy keeping his eyes open and finishing up text on a frame that he hardly noticed the plate, sniffing and nearly falling off his chair.

 

 

“Take a break, Lance.” Hunk reprimanded. There was no budging from the “mom” voice, Lance knew. He pulled his eyes away from the screen and stared at the plate.

 

 

“When did this get here?” He questioned. Then Lance looked at Hunk. “How long have you been there?”

 

 

Hunk sighed. “I don’t know whats going on with your head but you should probably take a break from this room and go for a walk.” As Lance began to stand up, Hunk snapped his fingers. “Not now, you eat.” Lance gulped, nodding.

 

* * *

 

 

 

Lance stepped out of the shower, feeling the filth on him completely gone. He hadn’t cleaned off since he left Keiths apartment over a week ago, and Hunk was starting to complain about the smell that was assaulting his nose for days. Lance hadn’t ignored his need for a shower since he was a teen, and his face was starting to break out from not cleaning it almost every night. Plus, the amount of snacking and touching his face with his greasy fingers wasn’t helping. He headed back to his room and closed the door, dressing in some underwear and some pajama pants. He took a deep breath before looking in the direction of his desk. The video he spent the past week editing was almost done rendering and was nearly ready for upload. He couldn’t wait to share it with the world. Lance grabbed his phone from his bed and began to look through notifications. Most were just emails, texts from Keith and Shiro, and an event reminder about a meeting he was going to be attending for creators at YouTube headquarters. It wasn’t like he was the only one either, Hunk was to go as well as a handful of other successful creators.

 

 

S: hey you up?

 

L: yeah waddup?

 

S: i’m flying in tomorrow morning, is it cool if I stop by your place before we head to HQ?

 

L: sure, we should talk about your new place btw.

 

S: ok cool. See you then

 

 

Lance smiled before responding to Keith’s text.

 

K: hey

 

L: hey :)

 

K: what are you up to

 

L: just got out of the shower ;P

 

K: please don’t send that emoji to me ever again

 

L: oh come on you love it

 

K: shut up you nerd

 

L: you love me

 

K: I know

 

L: anyway the video is almost done. Gonna post it once its done saving

 

K: oh cool can’t wait to see it

 

L: so what are you up to

 

K: figuring out how to make an introduction video

 

L: you have a camera?

 

K: oh yeah, forgot to tell you. Thinking about getting into modeling, but like seriously this time. And maybe a youtube channel...

 

L: oh my god that sounds awesome

 

K: its nothing great, I still have to figure out what I wanna do

 

L: you’re good at fashion, thats definitely something you could do since there’s an audience for that

 

K: but who would watch a man dressing in womens clothes

 

L: I would

 

K: you’re sweet.

 

L: you’re going to do great. If you have questions about all that tech stuff, text pidge and they’ll walk you through it

 

K: thanks.

 

L: i’m gonna sleep once I upload the video. Good night

 

K: night.

 

L: love you

 

K: love you too

 

 

Lance set his phone down and plugged it into the charger, sitting himself front of his computer screen. The program displayed “100% complete” and he yawned.

 

 

“Time to get this done.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lance was nudged awake, drooling on his desk. He opened his eyes to see a figure standing over him. “Five more minutes...” Lance whined, laying his forehead against his forearms.

 

 

“If you don’t get up, we’re going to be late.” Lance recognized the voice and sat up. It was Shiro.

 

 

“Oh crap, I forgot you were gonna be here.” Lance stood up, ruffling his hair and fixing his pants, one leg bunched up.

 

 

“I brought food, so come eat. You have a couple hours and I’d like to beat traffic.”

 

 

Lance stretched, feeling the tightness in his neck and groaning. He knew he shouldn’t have fallen asleep where he did, but after waiting for the video to complete its upload and saving the description information of it, he somehow just dozed off on his desk. Following Shiro, he hadn’t even begun to wake up and realize that Keiths brother was actually in his house, acting as if he’d been living with him already. It was comforting to say the least, but really unexpected. On the dining table was a to-go box, eggs and toast inside of the opened container. Lance sighed before sitting down and shoving the food into his mouth with his hands.

 

 

“Hey, you animal, use a fork!” Hunk yelled, rushing from the living room space. Shiro had gotten enough food to feed himself and his friends and he hadn’t really noticed until that moment how good Shiro was.

 

 

Lance took the fork from Hunks hand and finished eating what he had left in the Styrofoam box. Sitting back he sighed, feeling like he’d eaten far too fast and hadn’t had anything to drink. He was lucky that Hunk brewed some coffee, so he headed in the direction of the kitchen and set himself up a cup of coffee. Far too sweet and nearly the lightest beige color he could make it. The bitterness of it was too hard for his sensitive taste buds, so he sweetened it up the most he could before chugging it down in a single sitting. Finishing the cup completely, he belched, sighing relief from the feeling that was sitting in his chest. Shiro had walked into the kitchen as Lance had let out air from his stomach and he laughed.

 

 

“Well damn, thats quite a big one.” Shiro said, surprising Lance. “How are you doing, by the way?”

 

 

“I’m doing okay, just been busy. Finished editing a video last night and I swear to god if I have to see my face one more time I’m gonna scream.” Lance responded. He wasn’t really telling the truth, he loved seeing himself in his videos, but the real reason was Keith’s adorable one-liners and the smile he wore in almost every single clip from the day of filming. Shiro raised an eyebrow.

 

 

“Uh-huh, sure.” Shiro sarcastically agreed.

 

 

“So… how’s the apartment thing working out?” Lance asked, trying to pull the attention away from the awkward conversation he was trying NOT to have with Shiro.

 

 

“Oh, its great. I’m almost all packed and I have a few pieces of furniture left at my old place.” Shiro pulled out his phone and began texting before slipping it back into his pocket.

 

 

“I’m gonna get dressed and then we can go.” Lance responded.

 

 

“Oh, afterwards, wanna stop at the apartment?” Shiro asked, Lance turning around from the direction he was walking to face him.

 

 

“Sounds like a plan.”


	26. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Milestones and taking a step forward. Thats what's planned for Keith.

Frustration was the first thing Keith felt as he sat in front of all the equipment laying around his living room floor. He’d read the set up instructions, and indeed put together the lighting equipment, but had no clue how to place them properly in the room. His camera sat on the tripod, full charged and set up properly to use. Keith grabbed his laptop and began researching how to set up lights for a video, along with how to start a YouTube channel.

 

 

The first thing he learned was placing a backlight behind him. Since it was still early in the day, he figured he didn’t need that part, moving onto the big lights that lit him up like a tree. Which he also decided that he didn’t need. Probably.

 

 

Keith placed every piece of lighting equipment in the corner of the living room where it wasn’t in the way and fiddled with the camera on the tripod, fixing the settings for automatic. He was a beginner and didn’t want to mess anything up while he was still new to everything. Plus, he should probably just talk to Pidge later for help.. Which his pride was definitely not letting him do.

 

  
Standing in front of the camera, viewfinder facing him, he took a spot straight in the middle of the room and thought about how to start his first video before actually pressing the record button. He took deep breaths. _You can do this._

 

 

He pressed the record button.

 

 

“Hey, name’s Keith. Welcome to my channel. Uhm...” He knew he was going to end up editing this video, but for now he wasn’t worried about looking like a complete newbie.

 

 

“I’m an Instagram model, well, I guess I’m an Instagram model, I don’t really know what to call myself. I guess I’ll be doing fashion related videos on here? Vlogs, probably too. I’m a guy that keeps to himself, so I don’t get out much. I mean, I’ll vlog my trips and my outfits of the day. I’m a simple guy, I just like to wear really good looking clothing. Please consider subscribing if you’re into that kind of stuff. Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy my channel.”

 

 

Keith pressed the record button again, turning it off, and turning the viewfinder away from him. He sighed. He probably didn’t sound too confident, so he felt he should take a breather and try again later. Sitting on the couch, he pulled his phone out and checked social media. Lance was posting his food again. His stomach signaled that he needed to eat, so a quick fix of leftovers from the fridge was going to be enough while he looked through posts. Food warmed from the microwave, he set himself up in the living room, television on and YouTube on the screen. Lance uploaded a new video, the video he was in.

 

He clicked on it, and it began with Pidge fiddling with their laptop on his living room floor. It was something he wasn’t part of at the time, he might have been in the bathroom or his room or something. Lances voice echoed in his living room and he smiled. Keith missed him so much already.

 

 

Lance was getting ready to throw one of his dirty socks at Pidge, and as soon as the item flew across the room, Pidge grabbed it out of thin air, immediately dropping it. “Ew, what the hell, Lance?” The sock was apparently very wet judging from the sound of it falling onto his carpet. Keith paused the video and looked down on his current living room carpet. How he managed not to notice that they did this sketch was beyond him. He resumed the video.

 

 

The video cuts and its the scene where they’re at the drive-thru. “What’s up guys, we’re at the drive-thru getting some lunch.” The camera switches and its aimed at Keith, who is standing by the drive-thru window getting ready for something. It was filmed like they didn’t know what was going to happen, and just as they pulled up at the window and thanked the woman, she pulled her hand out of the window with the bag and Keith darted between the car and the window, grabbed the food, and ran around the corner. Everyone was gasping and laughing, followed by driving up to the front of the building to pick up Keith.

 

 

The clip ended with the camera pointed outside the window, Keith kneeling over and laughing before climbing into the car. Keith smiled as he watched and ate his lunch.

 

 

Then, Lance pointed the camera at Hunk, sitting in his living room again. It was the same dialogue he heard while he stood in the kitchen waiting for his cue. Hunks expression was nervousness, Pidge interjecting to tell them to shut up, and Keith audibly chuckled. Then, the cameras view was point in his direction. Keith stomped on the table in the living room, which wasn’t his real coffee table. His foot when through it like it was tissue paper. Hunk and Lance tried to pull Keith away from the table, but from the footage, it was shaky and didn’t seem fake, which was what Lance was going for. It looked so real, and once it was over, the video was cut and it looked like Lance added some footage he took that Keith didn’t know about, again. He guessed that when Keith was on his phone or scrolling through something on his laptop, Lance had been filming his laughs. At some point he didn’t even know the camera was on when Lance kept poking him and asking what he was looking at. And then the clip ended and Lance was saying his outro. It was over just as quickly as it began.

 

 

Keith spent the next three or four hours rewatching Lance’s videos.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Keith found himself sitting in front of his camera, completely blanking on how he was going to make his introduction video. He told himself he would deal with it later, and well, it was later. His laptop was open on a word document, completed script on it. He decided that he should probably start filming outfits of the day, his daily routine, and how to properly organize your clothing for changing of the seasons, to name a few. It was easy enough for him, since everything he’d already written down was like second nature to Keith.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Time had passed and he realized he’d been filming until his camera battery had died on him. It was only a battery that lasted a couple hours. It was dinner time and after ordering Uber Eats, he scrolled through Instagram once again. Lance updated his story and for some reason Shiro was in them. He looked like he was having fun, and Keith felt lonely again. A quick text should be fine, he told himself.

 

 

K: Thinking of you.

 

 

L: Same here.

 

 

K: How’s my bro?

 

 

L: He’s chill. We just left a content creator thing at the YT HQ. Gonna grab a bite to eat with him before we head to Shiros place. Haven’t seen it yet.

 

 

K: Sounds like you had fun.

 

  
L: Its work. Not fun. Big wigs, corporate dicks in suits. At least we YouTubers get to do some workshops, meet others.

 

 

K: Wish I could have been there to see it all.

 

 

L: Yeah, too bad we can’t share anything we do there on social media. Big no no

 

 

Keith laughed, looking up from his phone before pulling himself away from his couch. He hadn’t noticed knocking until someone shouted from the hallway.

 

 

Keith opened the door, someone with a delivery bag. “Sorry, I was distracted.”

 

 

The delivery person handed over Keiths food. “Its fine, happens a lot. Enjoy your meal!” They excitedly responded before Keith waved goodbye and shut the door softly. The aroma of McDonalds fries floated into his nose and his stomach rumbled.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A quick rearranging of his food on his coffee table and a photo taken later (more like several), he settled himself into the indent in his couch once again, flipping through Netflix and messaging Lance back. A single fry slipping in-between his lips.

 

 

K: I haven’t seen his place either. He’s keeping it quiet.

 

 

L: sus much?

 

 

K: did you just type that?

 

 

L: deadass

 

 

K: Please stop.

 

 

L: Nah fam

 

 

K: I swear to god I will break up with you if you don’t stop

 

  
L: weird flex but ok

 

 

K: LANCE

 

 

L: sorry, just messing with you <3

 

 

K: why are you like this

 

 

L: I like making you laugh

 

 

Lance was right, he always tried to get him to laugh, just as he was now. And most certainly was laughing. In fact, he’d forgotten about Netflix entirely, munching on his food carefully and knocking some fries onto the floor.

 

 

K: saw the video today. You little shit

 

 

L: you love me

 

 

K: you’re not wrong

 

 

L: gonna go eat and then go back to my place. i’ll call you soon.

 

 

K: ok

 

 

L: love you

 

 

K: back at you <3

 

 

Keith finished his food at some point during the conversation, seeing the empty burger wrapper on the coffee table with a lonely and bare fry container. He yawned, knowing he needed to sleep if he wanted to get to finishing this introduction video he’d worked on all day. Nestling into his bed, he felt relaxed. He was a very odd experience. Keith was going to start a YouTube channel. He was going to create a better audience for himself. He was going to take the step forward into modeling, albeit, on his own, but he wasn’t about to sell his soul to some modeling company that was going to control his every move, every decision, every social media post. He liked being in control of his own life. And after trying to get a grip on his shit after the chaos that was “the fappening” as the internet called it, he felt like things were going in the right direction.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Online, people responded positively. So much so that Keith had somehow hit his first million followers on Instagram literally overnight. He hadn’t noticed until he was skimming through his emails and found the official “congratulations on your 1 million followers” email. Another one a few hours later was asking for information to be verified and his stomach immediately tied up in knots and his body started to sweat.

 

 

 

K: is this real life

 

 

L: what is it

 

 

K: [image sent]

 

 

L: holY SHIT

 

 

K: yeah wtf

 

 

L: whoa calm down there my dude don’t get all excited over there

 

 

K: sarcasm is not needed at this moment

 

 

Keith was literally too nervous to eat breakfast, which had been sitting in front of him on his coffee table in the living room. Its not that he was too bothered by what he was given. At some point during the night, someone came into his place and took out all of his junk food, again. And replaced every unhealthy item with something fresh and nutritious. Curse Shiro and his connections. The sudden change in his eating habits after Shiro slacked because of his own work was not the reason for his sudden lack of appetite. It was because his career was almost reviving and flourishing.

 

 

L: come on Keith this is great news!

 

 

K: I know but still scary. So many eyes on me now.

 

 

L: you’ll get to used to it

 

 

K: will I? Or will it kill me?

 

 

L: Come on this is good for you! People are finally noticing you and you deserve it.

 

 

K: thanks. you’re the best tbh

 

 

L: so are you


End file.
